Days are Fleeting, but Memories are Everlasting
by Ninoandjaffar
Summary: Two young medical ninja, Emi and Aina, have joined the Akatsuki. Shenanigans and hi-jinx commence as the two develop friendships and even romance. SasoriXOC, DeidaraXOC
1. Cheerio Fiasco

Chapter One: Cheerio Fiasco

"Ok, who's stupid idea was it to leave cereal on the floor?" Hidan's voice boomed. The silver-haired priest stood in the middle of the Akatsuki's hideout kitchen, surrounded for a good two feet by Cheerios.

A small head popped around the door, looking at the mess. Her purple eyes looked at the man apologetically. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to leave it. I'll clean it up right away!"

As the small girl rushed in, another girl, only a couple years older with green hair, followed her in. A grin was plastered on her face as she walked around the circle of food.

"Wow, I didn't know Jashin let you sacrifice cereal now."

"Oh, you think you're so funny, Aina..." Hidan growled. "Maybe you should help Captain Clumsy over there in cleaning this up! And you!" His attention turned to the smaller girl. "How could you leave this? It's just ridiculous to think you'd leave this big of a mess! And how do you make a cereal lake anyway?"

"Hidan," a calm female voice interjected. Konan, the leader's right hand woman, walked into the kitchen. "Must you be so hard on her? It's 6:30 in the morning." She ran her hand through her unkept blue hair, like she was emphasizing how early it was.

"So what?" he glared, snapping. "I'M STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING OCEAN OF CHEERIOS!"

"I'm sorry!" the pale-haired girl said again, her purple-blue eyes glossing over. "I was looking for a broom and dustpan, and couldn't find one! I'll get it right away though!" As she said this, she ran out of the room to go search more.

"Emi, the broom and dustpan is in the closet," Konan called back and returned her calm gaze at the religious freak-of-nature, named Hidan.

"Please calm yourself," she said again. "It was an accident."

"Pfft, accident my butt," he grumbled begrudgingly to himself. Aina giggled to herself.

"Silly Hidan," she smiled in amusement, "you're such a pika."

"Shut up, Aina," he grumbled, wondering what the heck a pika was. "I'd sacrifice you to Jashin if your partner would let me, that pain in the but... What's a pika anyway?"

"A rodent. Probably more adorable than you."

"And more intelligent," a new voice entered the room. The blond Akatsuki bomber of the Akatsuki, Deidara, stood next to Aina. "...Not that that'd be hard to do, un."

"Ouch!" Hidan jokingly grabbed at his heart. "I'm just not feeling the love today! Did I miss the 'insult Hidan' memo?"

Konan rolled her eyes. "No, you just leave yourself too open."

"What the heck? I didn't even make this mess, and I'm the one who gets yelled at!"

Hidan, Aina, Konan, and Deidara continued to bicker. Meanwhile, upon Emi's return, she noticed the milk carton on the counter. 'It's probably getting warm; suppose I should put it in the fridge now.' She picked up the carton and headed for the fridge.

"What do you propose I do, have Kakuzu sew my mouth shut?" the silver-haired priest shouted.

Sasori, the red-head puppeteer, entered the kitchen, a look of irritation spread across his features. "It'd do everyone a favor if you did so. Poor Emi doesn't need to be yelled at so harshly."

Emi froze. 'Was Sasori just... defending me?' She felt a massive blush cover her cheeks as she leaned forward.

Her balance failed her, and the purple-haired ninja was heading for the floor. The carton of milk slipped out of her hands.

Before he knew what was happening, Hidan found himself face-planting with the milk carton. The carton broke, sending milk in every direction... including him entirely.

Konan, Aina, and Deidara gasped while Sasori let a grin plaster his face. Hidan let out an animalistic growl, much like a lion.

"Ok, that's IT! I'm DONE with this stupid place! I'm done with that stupid, worthless girl..."

Sasori's cable was wrapped around Hidan's neck in an instant. His red hair fell in front of his face, leaving an ominous shadow. His grin was gone, replaced with the most chilling grimace.

"You will not, I repeat, will NOT insult Emi."

The Jashinist's eyes were wide with horror. Wow, did he ever underestimate the short temper the puppeteer had.

"Whoaaa," Deidara whistled to himself, obviously amused. "Go Danna, un!" Aina smiled to herself, letting a chuckle escape her lips. Though, Sasori seemed un-phased by these comments and reactions. He was too busy staring Hidan down venomously.

"Why, you little turd," Hidan's face twisted into a deeper frown. "How about you let me go?"

"Apologize to Emi first," Sasori said calmly, darkly.

"Like heck I will!"

"Do it."

"Screw you!"

As the two bickered, Konan sighed and helped Emi up. "You know, Sasori, I'm sure you feel like a tough man, defending Emi and all, but don't you think you should have at least shown some more chivalry by helping her up?"

Emi blushed a deep red. "N-no, Konan, it's ok. I'm fine..." she said with a tiny voice.

"I'm busy taking care of the fool here," Sasori looked back at the two thoughtfully, his death grip of a cord still around Hidan's neck. Hidan tried to move, to loosen the cable, but it was completely stable. "But you're right," Sasori added after glancing at the lavender-haired girl, "I should have tended to her first."

Emi blushed even more. Was Sasori, her partner, her senior, really saying those words? It didn't make any sense to her...

"Can you let me go now?" Hidan shouted with an irritated tone.

The shadows then enveloped the rest of Sasori's face, save it be his cheek bones and eyes. His eyes were more terrifying than Jashin himself. (Author's note: Not that we know, or anything...)

"But Hidan," he said darkly, "I could take you back to my room and give you pain... all... day... long..."

Hidan's eyes quickly slammed shut, grabbing the rosary around his neck. "O Almighty Jashin, I pray to you to spare my life from this calamity. I know not how much this mortal body... Oh, wait, I'm immortal, what am I doing? Come on! Bring it, Puppet Boy!" Hidan shouted, his tone quite cocky.

Sasori then let out a snarl.

"You asked for it."

The metallic sound of Sasori's cable, along with the tearing of Hidan's neck filled the room for a brief instant before Hidan's head thudded to the floor. A gasp from Emi escaped her mouth as she looked away, while Konan was un-phased, being used to such crazy antics. Deidara and Aina, on the other hand, cheered on their red-headed friend quite obnoxiously.

"Oh great, this is just fantastic. I didn't think you were seriously gonna do it!" Hidan belted at the top of his lungs. (Author's note: FYI, Hidan's not quite attached to his body or lungs at the moment...)

Suddenly, a soft thud was heard as Emi passed out on to the floor, no thanks to the scent or the sight of the blood from Hidan's decapitated head.

"Great, and I'm supposed to rely on her to be a medical ninja," Hidan rolled his eyes in sarcasm.

Sasori's head snapped over to the direction of the unconscious Emi before quickly rushing over to her side, picking her up in his arms.

Letting out a small sigh of relief before picking her up bridal style. He proceeded to exit the kitchen without another word to anyone.

"Oh, sure! Just abandon the decapitated guy for your girlfriend, Sasori! Really nice..."

The red-head stopped dead in his tracks. His head turned to face completely behind him, one of the many benefits of being a puppet himself.

"She's not my girlfriend," he spoke straight-faced, before turning his head around and continuing to his room with Emi.

A silence was left in the room for a moment before Deidara spoke up. "You know what? I don't think Danna's doing a good job of hiding anything, un!"

Aina gave out a sigh. "It'll be a long time before either of them admit it. Gosh, they're so dense."

Konan listened in, knowing fully well of what was going on. "Well, let's just let them have time to figure things out. Come on, Pein-sama has a mission for you two."

"Alright," the two said together and made and followed Konan out of the room, leaving Hidan behind.

"Wait, wai, wai, wai, wai, wait, Hold on a moment!" Hidan cried. "You guys aren't seriously gonna leave me here, are you? Come on, come on! Help me out here, guys!" There was a slight pause while Hidan waited for a response that never came. "Oh, great. You guys are now giving me the silent treatment. Thank you. Thank you sooo much. This is just great and peachy!"

"What are you blabbing about now?" Kakuzu exclaimed as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his temples.

"Kakuzu? Kakuzu? Buddy ol' pal? Are you here to save me?"

"Hidan, why can you never pick a convenient place to get decapitated?" Kakuzu questioned.

"Well, Kakuzu, if I had known that Sasori was seriously gonna do it, I wouldn't have provoked him." Hidan retorted with a sigh. "Now, are you gonna help me?"

"You know, Hidan," Kakuzu stroked his chin. "did you know that blood and milk mix into a fantastic shade of red?"

"Could you have picked any worse of a time to be ADD?"

"Could you have picked any worse of a time to get decapitated?"

Hidan was baffled, left without a retort.

"You know, now I've got a hankering for Cheerios,"

The Jashinist let out a small sigh. "You are a sick sick puppy, Kakuzu."

"It's taken you this long to realized that?" the miser mused.

"It's only taken me this long to voice it, Kakuzu." He implied.

The masked man's green eyes widened as he got a deviously twisted idea.

"I think I'm going to join you on the floor, Hidan." he seemed to smile behind his mask. "Just so you can watch me eat really, really close."

"You sadistic monster, you..."

"And proud of it." Kakuzu then proceeded to sit next to Hidan's head, taking the first delicious bite of his cereal. "Mmm, this is so delicious, you have no idea what you're missing. The balance between the honey and the wheat is perfect~"

"Jashin curse all of you!" Hidan raised his voice with a snarl. "Was I seriously the only person who didn't get the memo?"

"There was a memo?" Kakuzu asked legitimately.

"Ugh, this is awesome. Just awesome!"

All of a sudden, the door creaked open, revealing the raven-haired ninja, Uchiha Itachi, as he started to walk through the kitchen. He noticed the beheaded Hidan and cereal killing Kakuzu.

"Dude, I'm not even sure I want to ask what went wrong in here," Itachi made a face and walked out the door slowly. "I'd make sure that gets cleaned up before Pein-sama comes in, if I were you two."

Kakuzu scanned the room and shrugged his shoulders before continuing to eat his breakfast. And boy, was it good!

A.N. And there you go! This is my first official Naruto story! Yay! I'm working on this with an amiga, so please tell us how we did! Tell us what you like about our OCs too! Expect some more chapters soon! More shenanigans and hi-jinx will commence. Oh, no, I think I hear Hidan mentioning something about a piggy-back ride...I should go check on that!


	2. Nothing Better than a PiggyBack Ride!

Chapter Two: Nothing Better Than A Piggy-Back Ride

"KAKUZU!" The Jashinist's voice boomed into his partner's room. The door had been forced open and Hidan was now standing over the miser, who was calculating the budget.

His green eyes looked up at the priest. "Do you have to be so loud? One would think you don't have volume control."

Hidan blinked his purple eyes a couple times. "Wait, people come with volume control?"

"Sometimes, I question whether you have a brain in that head of yours..."

"Of course I do, I'm a human," Hidan stated matter-of-factly. "Anyways, I have a huge favor to ask of you."

Kakuzu let out a sigh. "What kind of stupid thing could you possibly want?"

Hidan's smile grew into a massive grin. "Well..."

:::::

Saturday afternoons made for a great time for reading, Sasori had found out. He had picked up the tenth volume of "Puppetry For The Not-So-Average Puppeteer."

"Tobi, do you have a red eight, un?" Deidara asked his orange-mask wearing friend.

"Go fish, Sempai," Tobi responded.

The blond picked up a card from the 'pond,' then nodded for his turn to be done.

"Cough up your black six, Deidara!" Aina grinned at the bomber.

His blue eyes closed as he handed her the card. "I'm sick of playing with you. You always win... Always, un!"

"Heh heh," she snickered. "Sorry you're just not as lucky as I am. Tobi, I think you have my red queen."

Tobi was in the process of handing her the card when a loud voice broke every one's concentration.

"Hello, silly peasants!" Hidan yelled to them. He entered the room via piggy-back ride from none other than Kakuzu. "Stop here, 'Kuzu."

Kakuzu stopped when instructed, right next to the red-head puppeteer.

"What sort of nonsense is this? Does Hidan have you whipped or something, un?" Deidara looked puzzled.

"I think of the term 'whipped' only applying to romantic couples."

"You're a sad old man, Kakuzu..." Sasori let his head rest in his hand.

"You act a bit like one yourself."

Sasori's face turned as red as his hair. "Well, I'm not old!"

Hidan laughed. "One would think you are! How old are you, anyways?"

"None of your concern," he fought back a growl.

"Anyways," Hidan changed the topic. "I'm here to announce that the 'King of Piggy-Back' is willing to have a race with any who dare! You just have to let me know!"

"Wait, the 'King of Piggy-Back?'" Emi questioned.

Aina laughed hysterically. "Would that happen to be you, Hidan?"

"As a matter of face, yes, that would be me. And this is my dearest ally, 'Kuzu!" the Jashinist explained.

Sasori shook his head from side to side. "'Kuzu?' How could you let this maniac give you such a silly nick-name?"

"Kinda sounds like Kazoo!" Tobi joyfully added.

"He's not a toy, Tobi!" Hidan snapped.

Deidara snickered. "Kinda looks like one to me..."

"I'm not a toy, nor will I ever be. Anyways," Kakuzu attempted to change the topic, "if any of you are interested, please let Hidan know soon so we can get this over with."

"'Kuzu, you sound like you don't want to do this," Hidan pouted.

"Maybe because I don't."

"Yes, you do," Hidan smiled. "So, just let me know if any of you will partake in this! Preferably sooner rather than later. I get the feeling 'Kuzu's just as exited as I am for this! FORWARD, 'KUZU!"

Kakuzu let out a sigh before moving to head down a hallway. The others were left to look at each other, baffled and confused.

"I think we should do it!" Aina spoke up.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Don't you need two people for a piggy-back ride?"

"That's what you're for, silly! And Emi and Sasori can team up, too!"

Sasori and Emi's eyes widened in horror. Both looked at each other, then to Aina.

"Are you serious?" The red-head started. "Do you know how silly and ridiculous this is? Anyways, I've got better things to do than follow one of Hidan's hair-brained schemes."

As he got up, he looked at Emi. Her purple eyes were glazed over, like she could cry at any moment. "Emi...?"

She attempted to hide a sniffle. "I think it would be fun. It'd be like a team building exercise. But it's ok. I wouldn't want to burden you, Sasori no Danna."

Sasori's chest felt like it was compressing. 'What is this feeling?' he asked himself. He thought for a moment, then gave in.

"Would you... like to be my partner in the piggy-back race, Emi?"

The light-purple-haired girl gave a smile as her face turned a deep red. "I... I would love to," she half whispered.

"It's settled then!" Aina raised a fist in the air. "Let's show this 'King of Piggy-Back' who's boss! First, though, Tobi, can I have my red queen?"

Tobi groaned a bit, but complied to her demand. "You're so good at this game!"

:::::

"So, you decided to show," Hidan chirped as Deidara, Aina, Sasori, and Emi headed outside to where the priest demanded they meet. He was still on Kakuzu's back. "How thoughtfully confident you all are."

"Can we just get this thing over with?" Kakuzu said with a very blunt tone.

"That would be nice," Sasori chimed in, only to glance at Emi. Suddenly regretting what he said, he internally bit his lip.

Hidan gave a short, slightly irritated sigh. "Fine, if you insist. 'Kuzu! Bring me to the starting line and I'll explain everything to them."

Kakuzu did as he was told and Hidan started by pointing to a white line that he and Kakuzu stood next to. "This is the starting and finishing line. We'll run all the way around the base to this line. Whomever crosses it is King-"

"Or queen!" Aina chided.

"...Or queen," Hidan raised his eyebrow in slight annoyance, "of Piggy-back rides. Tobi!"

Tobi perked up. "Yes, yes?"

"You get to be the referee. You'll have to wait here at the line and keep an eye on us in case two teams get really close to a tie, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good boy, Tobi."

"YAY! Tobi is a good boy~" Tobi sang.

"Baka," Deidara muttered under his breath. "Un."

"Shall we start then?" Emi asked, her eyes seeming to glitter-just slightly.

Hidan grinned maliciously. "Let us start then! You peasants get with your partners and line up!"

Without another thought, Deidara looked over and grinned at the green-haired girl. "Let's show him who's king, Aina-chan, un!"

"Yeah!" Aina cheered and immediately jumped onto Deidara's back, only to cause him to stumble a little. "Ah, gomen, gomen!" she giggled.

"Heh heh," Deidara chuckled, his grin back on his face. "It's fine! We'll win for sure, un!"

"UN!" Aina shouted with glee as the two readied themselves at the starting line with Hidan and Kakuzu.

Emi giggled as she watched the two. They were so silly together, Aina and Deidara. Suddenly, she found a taller shadow block hers. She blinked and looked up to find deep brown eyes. "Ah! S-S-Sasori no Danna!" she exclaimed, her face starting to burn.

"Calm down," he simply said. "Are you ready?"

"Ah, y-yeah..."

With that, he turned around and bent his knees slightly so she could climb on. Once they were stable, he stood up and got to the starting line, all the while, Emi's face was still red.

"Ready when you are," Sasori informed Hidan.

"Ready, Tobi?" Deidara asked the childish masked man.

"I'm ready, Sempai!" Tobi exclaimed, now lined up with the line.

"Alright then," Hidan grinned with anticipation. "Just say when, Tobi!"

"Yes!" Tobi replied. Everything then suddenly got quiet as he lifted his arm vertically. "Ready... Steady... STOP! (Everyone was just about to start running, only to stop with a jerk. "TOBI!" they whined.) Oh, sorry, by bad~!" He seemed to giggle playfully and raised his arm again.

"Ready... Steady... GO!"

The ground seemed to shake from the pounding of their feet against the ground. Everyone seemed pretty well even as the race started. Rounding the first turn, Hidan and Kakuzu's team took a slight lead, while Deidara and Aina's team fell to last place.

"It's only the beginning, Aina, un!" Deidara yelled to her.

"I know, so get GOING!" The green-haired girl shouted back.

Sasori and Emi started to catch up to the 'Zombie Brothers,' as Kisame once put it. He could hear Emi giggling as they got closer. The sound of her voice encouraged him to push further.

"Oh, I don't THINK so!" Hidan shouted as he pulled his scythe from his cloak. Sasori jumped to avoid the attack, even though it cost him some ground.

"What was that?" the red-head yelled to the priest.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention: in this race, you can use any means necessary."

"Well, if that's the case..." Deidara started as he reached into his pouches to ready some clay.

Sasori let a smirk come across his face. "Emi! Open my cloak! I need my cable!"

Emi's face turned beat red. "What?"

"Just do it, if you want to win!"

"Yes, S-Sasori no Danna." She quickly undid the buttons of his cloak, allowing the cable to extend. It wrapped around Kakuzu's ankle before pulling back.

Kakuzu and Hidan let out yelps as they crashed into the ground. Hidan let an animalistic growl escape his throat as the other two teams passed him and his partner. "Get back up, 'Kuzu! We have a race to win!"

Aina shouted to Deidara. "Use your clay! There's only one team left!"

"Here!" Deidara handed her a small handful of spiders. "Throw those at them!"

Her face twisted into a grin as she carefully aimed the small spiders at the puppeteer. "They're in place!"

"Good."

Emi let out a gasp as she felt something touch her back. Reaching behind her, she found one of the clay spiders. She let out a scream.

"SASORI!"

"Crap!" was all Sasori could manage before they went off.

"Katsu!" Deidara and Aina smirked as they passed the team. Thankfully, Deidara kept them at C1, so as not to hurt anyone too bad.

As they tumbled to the ground, Sasori reached to Emi. "Are you all right?"

Emi was laying on the ground, her body shaking. Sasori reached closer to her. She seemed to be...laughing?

"That was so much fun!" she shouted, though her voice was still small.

Sasori let out a sigh, thankful that his heart-attack wasn't necessary. He carefully helped her back up and onto his back. Hidan and Kakuzu had just passed them, but there was no way he was gonna lose. He had to win for Emi!

Deidara and Aina felt confident as the opposing team went down. Now, it was just them.

"We're winning!" Aina yelled.

"Of course we are! We're the best, un!"

"Un!"

"You only think so!" Hidan's voice sent them both into a brief moment of shock. One of Kakuzu's hearts came up to them and grabbed them in a bear-hug. Unable to move, Hidan and Kakuzu were able to pass them. "Ha ha ha! We're gonna win!"

"Gah! What do we do?" Aina screeched.

Deidara managed his right hand into a pouch. "Get ready for a boom, Aina."

"Oh, no!"

Sasori, now with his cloak off, was propelled forward with gained momentum from the blades on his back. They worked much like propellers for a plane. Emi continued to giggle as they passed the blond bomber. Maybe they had a chance. Kakuzu had much more weight on his back with Hidan, so they would probably be slower. If he could just go fast enough...

BOOM!

The puppeteer stumbled as the ground beneath him shook violently. Looking up, he watched as Deidara and Aina flew across the sky, screaming.

The Zombie Brothers also felt the ground shake, just not as bad. Once they heard the teenagers screaming, they too looked up as Deidara and Aina landed a few paces ahead of them. Somehow, Deidara landed on his feet and continued running. "WHAT?" both shouted as Aina looked back and stuck her tongue out at them.

"We've got this, Deidara!" Aina joyfully said.

"Ha ha! We do, un!"

Sasori and Emi caught up to Hidan and Kakuzu, who had slowed down out of shock for the blonds great stunt.

"Now, Emi!"

Emi reached her hand out, having concentrated her chakra to it. When it made contact with them, they spun out of control into the side of the base. Sasori let out a chuckle as they crossed the finish line shortly after Deidara and Aina.

"Sempai! You won!" Tobi shouted as he came up to the out-of-breath bomber. "You are in first, with Sasori and Emi just behind you. Kakuzu and Hidan are... still not here."

"It's 'cause they went boom," Emi replied in a mischievously cutesy voice. If any puppet could blush, it was probably Sasori. Though he wouldn't have known that such a thing may or may not have been possible for him. Nevertheless, his heart skipped a beat, and he didn't know what that meant either.

Tobi laughed. "Ah, Emi-chan is funny! Where are they anyways?"

"Either stuck to the wall or knocked out on the ground," Sasori replied. "Or, they're just laying there..."

"Either way," Deidara added, "they lost and are probably whining like babies, un!"

"Well, I don't think Kakuzu would," Aina said thoughtfully, then grinned, "but Hidan sure would!"

"We should celebrate our victory, Aina-chan!" Deidara cheered. "We beat Hidan, Kakuzu, Emi and Sasori no Danna, un!"

"We should have Ramune and Pocky!" Aina exclaimed.

"Un!"

"Ah..." Emi blinked. "I love Pocky and Ramune..."

"Well, we aren't sharing, un!" Deidara stated, sticking his tongue out.

"Deidara, be nice!" Aina scolded him, giving him a small jab in the ribs.

The blond frowned, rubbing the spot she nudged. "Ah, heeey... un..."

Sasori watched the three as the winning team both bickered and boasted about their victory. He then found interest in the ground in front of him, his thoughts trailing off. He, as much as he hated to admit, wanted to win. He wanted to win for Emi. The puppeteer must have been such a disappointment to her...

"Sasori no Danna...?" A familiar voice rang and he suddenly saw a pair of small, narrow feet in front of his eyes. He blinked and looked up to meet Emi's iris-colored eyes. "Are you ok...?"

Sasori stared for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to say. Why was talking to her so hard sometimes? "I'm fine," he replied slowly. "Are you?"

"Mm!" Emi nodded. "That was a fun race, even if we didn't win!"

Sasori felt a bit confused. "Even if...? You mean, you didn't want to win?"

"No, I'm not saying that," Emi smiled. "I'm just saying that whether we did or didn't win, it was still the fun we had that counts."

"Ah..." For some reason, that was all Sasori could say. He wondered if she was just saying that to hide the fact she was upset, but then again...

"Sasori no Danna?" Emi started again.

"Hm?"

All of a sudden, he felt a gentle force push him back slightly. It was such a quick motion, but to him, it made it seem as if time had slowed. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and realized that Emi was hugging him once her body pressed up against him. The ex-sand ninja felt his chest compress more than when it did earlier.

"I know you probably didn't enjoy it," Emi continued, a blush on her cheeks. "But I wanted to thank you for participating... with me... So, arigatou gozaimasu!"

A small gasp escaped Sasori. After a moment, he realized he hadn't returned her hug. He let his arms wrap around her small waist, holding her close to him.

"D'aw, isn't that just so touching!" Hidan's voice, filled with sarcasm, broke the moment. "Now, why don't you two just make this easy for me. I want PAYBACK!" The silver-haired man's fist came towards the two with lightning speed. Sasori's hand was faster, though, as he caught it before it could make contact with the younger girl.

Without a word, Sasori gently pushed Emi back behind him. A flame burned in his eyes, sending a chill down the priest's back. Sasori's fist came up, then made contact with Hidan's gut.

As Hidan went flying into the sky, Kakuzu and the others watched Sasori blankly. Sasori looked up at the miser. "No hard feelings, right?"

"Actually, I'm very thankful." That was all he could manage to say before walking back into the base.

"You know," Aina started. "That reminds me a lot of Pokemon..."

Deidara blinked his eyes in realization. "Team Rocket's blasting off again, un!"

The two victors went inside laughing hysterically at the nostalgic memories. Sasori and Emi were left outside, looking at where Hidan went.

Sasori looked at Emi with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, he needed that."

Emi let a small giggle escape. "I completely understand. I think Kakuzu appreciates it too."

The puppeteer, with his companion, headed into the base with smiles on their faces. Maybe second place wasn't so bad.


	3. One Week Later Chapter 2 and a half

Chapter 2.5: One Week Later...

A week had passed since the now infamous piggy-back race had taken place. Word got around quickly with the Akatsuki, thanks to Deidara's boasting and Aina's obnoxious singing about how the three teams did in the race. Hidan, of course, didn't appreciate any of it, as having his ego blown to bits and no longer being the King of Piggy-back Rides. Sasori now didn't mind, along with Emi, for they both had a good reward of their own... Despite the fact they were in denial. Kakuzu... still didn't care. He just felt a bit of a thorn in his side from having to give the priest a ride on his back. That must hurt his ego.

"So," Kisame said again, trying to picture the story... again, "Deidara actually won?"

"With Aina, un!" Deidara replied egotistically. "We won, un!"

Kisame paused. "...I never thought you really had the brain capacity to do such a thing, Blondie."

"Oh!" Deidara's face suddenly fell into a very distraught look, as if he was just shot in the heart. "B-But...?"

"Kisame, I'm pretty sure Hidan's the stupid one," Itachi revised the blue shark-man's statement.

"Thank you!" Deidara shouted.

"Deidara's just arrogant."

"HEY!"

Aina laughed. "Oh, be nice, you guys!"

"Yeah!" Deidara pouted.

The door to the family room opened, and Emi, shortly followed by Sasori entered. In her arms was a platter of food.

She gave a smile. "Here we go."

"Yeah!" Deidara and Aina cheered in unison. The smell of kitsune and tanuki soba filled the air.

Hidan burst through the doorway shortly after. "Om nom time?" he questioned, sitting next to the puppeteer on the small sofa.

Emi smiled to Hidan, no hard feelings left from him almost punching her a week earlier. "Yes, here you go."

"Mm, thanks. It looks really good."

"Of course it's good, Emi made it herself from scratch." Sasori replied, attempting to hide the anger in his voice from Hidan's choice of seating.

"Not that you would know or anything? You are just a puppet, after all. Oh, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you: How have you and Emi been doing?"

"Wha...?" Sasori was confused. Any chattering that had been taking place was now silenced, all eyes on the red-head and silver-haired man.

"Well, I mean after the piggy-back race. You two were VERY close..."

"Hidan..." Sasori growled. "I think it'd be best if you left now."

Emi looked at them, her face redder than a tomato. "Sasori, he-he can stay if he'd like..."

"No, he needs to go... now."

"Ok, ok! I know when I'm not wanted. Emi, very nice soba. And Sasori, quite being in denial. We ALL know the truth."

You ever watch the movies where they are like 'don't cut the blue wire?' Well, I think Hidan just did so.

Sasori gently set his bowl on the coffee table, and walked over to Hidan who was now standing by the doorway. "We're going for a walk, Hidan."

"Crap..." Hidan managed before Sasori shoved him out the door.

There was a moment of silence. No one said anything, or ate anymore.

"Maybe a walk would be good for them," Emi stated.

"Um, Emi," Itachi started. "I don't think that's the kind of walk Sasori's taking him on."

Emi looked confused. "What do you mean? There are more than one kind of walk?"

Itachi cleared his throat. "Well, you see, there are pleasant walks, that you would take with a friend. Then there are business walks, like what Sasori's doing. Those don't end well. Hidan will probably be in a couple pieces when they're done."

Emi's eyes widened. "What?" She ran out of the room, after the two men.

Kisame spoke up after a brief moment. "You sure we should have told her? I mean, Hidan in a few pieces is actually kinda nice."

"It's best for her to know. She's cute, but absolutely oblivious to evil."

Deidara and Aina looked at each other.

"Wanna see who can eat the fastest?" Aina asked.

"I'm gonna win, un!"

"We'll see about that!"

As the two started their soba-eating race, the others slowly started to eat, partially watching the two competitive teens in amusement. Though, it wasn't long before they heard screaming from outside.

"You think he did it in front of her?" Kisame asked as he slurped up some noodles.

"Unintentionally, I'm sure," Itachi replied.

Then they heard Hidan cursing up a storm.

"...I'm starting to regret letting Emi know now."

A few minutes later, Sasori entered the living room, tossing Hidan's arm at Kisame. "Might want to tell Kakuzu he has a job to do. I'm gonna get Emi up to her room now."


	4. Workbenches Aren't For Art After All

Chapter 3: Workbenches Aren't Meant for Art After All

"Deidara, Deidara!" The green haired girl ran into her friends room, bouncing cheerfully with a bag in her arms.

"What's up, Aina?" His brow raised as he noticed the bag. "What's that, un?"

"This," she started, indicating the bag, "is the coolest thing EVER!"

"More explosive clay?" Deidara asked, curious.

"No, silly! Coloring books and crayons!" She dumped the contents of the bag onto Deidara's bed, covering it in coloring books and boxes of crayons.

"Whatever do you plan to do with those...?" the blond asked.

"Well, I suppose I had the stupid idea that maybe a certain friend of mine might join me in the coloring of these books. It'd take me a long time to do them alone."

Deidara thought on it for a moment. He really did enjoy spending time with Aina, and it wasn't very often he would get time with her alone. Usually, Hidan or Tobi was interrupting the peace. Maybe coloring books weren't such a bad idea.

The bomber let a smile grow. "You know, I think I might know a good friend who could accompany you, un."

"Thank you, Deidara!" she gleefully shouted as she picked up a book. "Hm, this one has previous Hokages in it."

"Ha ha, this one has Jinchuuriki and the tailed beasts in it, un." The blond picked up a different one.

Aina handed him one of the boxes. "Here you go."

Deidara held onto the box. "Thanks."

'Ok, why did her handing me a box of CRAYONS make me feel all warm and fuzzy, un?' he asked himself.

"I like this picture!" she exclaimed, holding up a picture of the fourth Hokage. "He's pretty cool looking, isn't he?"

"Meh, he's ok. Oh, here's the one-tails, un! That's what I'm assigned!"

"You should color it then!"

"Maybe I will. Gonna color your 'cool looking' Hokage?" Deidara asked, a hint of jealously in his voice.

"Hm, maybe I will!"

The two sat in silence as the colored their pages. There was a slight tension coming from Deidara. What about her comment set him on edge, he could never guess.

:::::

Across the hall, Sasori was busily working on another puppet. Tinkering with one of the arms, he hoped to have it ready for battle by the time his next mission came around.

A small knock at the door distracted him. He got out of his chair and casually made his way to the door.

"Hi, Sasori no Danna," her voice was small, but he knew exactly who it was.

"Emi," he spoke as the door opened. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was hoping for some company. See, I made this tea out of some herbs Aina and I are growing, but I have no one to drink it with. I know you can't really...consume things, but I thought you might allow me to drink it in your company..." She looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

Sasori was confused. She was right, he wouldn't be able to drink any of it. But, if it would make her feel better, Emi was always welcome.

"Come on in. Sorry it's a little bit of a mess, but you are welcome in."

Emi stepped inside of the room, Sasori closing the door behind her. The room was fairly small, and was filled with all sorts of assorted wood pieces. His bed was covered with the body of his latest project, thought the arm was missing; or rather, was relocated on the work bench.

Without the need for sleep, the need to keep his room cleanly was a little questionable. The young girl managed a place near the foot of the bed, where she could easily watch her puppet-master at work.

She poured herself a small cup, setting it aside to cool off. She gently got up and looked over the red-heads shoulders, her own purple strands tickling his back.

"Interesting?" Sasori asked her.

She jumped back slightly at his question. "Ah, yes. I-I've always been fascinated by your... art."

"Hm, I'm glad to know you know what true art is. After listening to Deidara the past couple of years, you are a very pleasant welcome."

She had know for a while about the two artist's dispute. Sasori believed in eternal art, while Deidara thought art was fleeting. They were infamous for their bickering on the topic.

"Well, I suppose I would be pleasant, then."

:::::

"Heh, this is looking pretty cool!" Aina held up the fourth Hokage picture, smiling.

"Isn't he just charming, un," Deidara spoke, a tint of venom in his words.

"Meh, you're just jealous!"

"Am not!"

"You are too! Anyways, I think he looks awesome!" There was a moment of silence. Obviously, Deidara didn't want to continue the fight. "I like blonds."

"What?" Deidara's head flashed up to look at her.

"I like blonds," she repeated. "Especially when they have blue eyes. I think blue eyes are my favorite." She looked him dead in the eyes with her own brown ones. "What do you think?"

"Oh, um...I-I like, brown-eyed girls...un..." his response was shaky.

"Really, that's interesting. What about hair? Height? Strength?"

"Whoa, hold on the questions! I suppose for hair, I like a crazy color, like blue or green, un. As for height, I suppose as long as she is shorter than me, I'm fine. And strength? What kind of silly question is that, un?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to have a conversation with you! What's your favorite kind of muffin?"

"Wha...? Um, blueberry..."

"I like chocolate chip. Though, blueberry is good too."

"Un," Deidara nodded. "So what's with these-"

"What's your favorite colored crayon?"

"Um... I don't know, I guess the colors of explosions."

"But they make many colors! Specific?"

"Um... Orange-Red?"

"I like green. Green is my favorite color. It's the color of leaves on the trees, and grass, and plants, and..."

"That," Deidara interrupted, "is so very exciting. However, I want to know what is up with the interrogation."

"Interrogation? I just want to know more about you, silly."

"And so you'll bombard me with questions?"

"Well, I suppose. Deidara, is there anything you like to do in your free-time asides from blowing things up?"

"Um," Deidara thought long about this. What DID he like to do asides from causing explosions. It was his favorite thing to do. "Well, I suppose I am rather fond of coloring."

"You're just saying that because that's what we're doing now." Aina gave a cute frown.

"Well, that may be true, but I really do enjoy coloring," he let out a sigh. "I guess the true answer is whatever you happen to be doing."

"Really?" Aina smiled.

"Don't give me that look!" Deidara exploded.

"What look?" She tilted her head to the side.

Deidara huffed. "THAT look! I don't like you like that!"

"Really?" She leaned her head in really close to his.

He leaned in a little further as well, until they were mere inches from each other. "Yes, really."

"Ok," She sat back up, looking at her picture. "When you're ready you'll tell me."

"What?"

"Do you think I should do the flames on his coat orange, or blue?" she asked, speaking of the fourth Hokage.

"Wha...? Well, I think they were actually orange, so that's what I'd do."

Aina smiled again. "Ok, thanks Deidara."

"You're welcome, un..."

:::::

After a while of watching Sasori work on his puppets, Emi was finally able to drink her tea comfortably. She watched and smiled, still looking over his shoulder. The pale-haired girl always found it interesting to study Sasori's puppets when she could. As creepy as it seemed, she sometimes drew pictures of his puppets, mostly because it was so fascinating with how they were made. Though, sufficed to say, some of them did creep her out a bit.

"How was the tea?" Sasori asked.

Emi smiled to him. "It was good."

"I'm glad. I know you like tea."

"You-you do?" Emi was surprised.

"Yes, I do. You drink it all the time. And I've heard you mention it in passing to Aina. You two are quite close aren't you?"

"I... Yes, I suppose we are. She's very kind."

"A little brash at times, but yes, she's kind. She makes for a good ally."

Emi nodded in agreement.

"Shall you be off then? It seems your tea is gone."

"I suppose I shall. I wouldn't want to be a bother to you, Sasori no Danna."

Sasori sub-consciously reached a hand out to grasp her own. "You are never a burden to me."

Emi and Sasori's eyes blinked in surprise. 'Did I really just say that?' Sasori asked himself. 'I think I did...'

'Did... did Sasori no Danna just s-say that... to me?' Emi asked herself as well.

"I, um," Sasori attempted to break the silence. "I suppose you should be off."

"Yes, I-I'll be on my way now, Danna," she started for the door. "Good day to you."

"And to you as well," he responded.

As Emi continued to the door, she walked backwards, watching her Danna. Her foot felt something, but it was too late to stop. The piece of wood knocked her off-balance. She let out a small cry before being flipped onto her back. Her feet swung forwards, hitting the bottom of Sasori's workbench.

The top of his desk was lifted from the frame with the force of Emi's 'kick.' The arm he's been working on, and a few other projects, were sent like a catapult on top of Emi. The arm rested on top of her head.

The purple-haired girl fought back tears. The bump of the arm on her head hurt a little, but more painfully was the anticipation of Sasori's outburst.

Sasori looked at her, eyes wide brown orbs, for the longest time. What was only a couple seconds felt like a few hundred years to her. Then...

He laughed.

Her watery eyes blinked a couple times, as though she were trying to wipe away a hallucination. But he was still there, laughing at her.

"Sa-Sasori no...Danna..." She attempted to speak between sniffles.

"Emi, are you all right?" he asked, kneeling beside her, a smile still on his face.

"I-I'm fine, Danna."

"That's good. Please don't cry. I like it best when you smile."

She gave him a weak smile, but still a smile non-the-less. His smile grew in return.

"Well, it looks like you bumped your forehead pretty good. There's a small cut here. Let's go take care of that, shall we?"

"That...would be n-nice."

Sasori picked her up, carrying her to the nearest bathroom to clean the small wound.

:::::

Meanwhile, back with Aina and Deidara, they were still coloring their pictures, asking each other questions and the like. When all of a sudden, they heard a knock at the door.

"Who is iiit?" Aina called.

"Tobi!" he sang as he explicitly barged through the door, arms raised and rushing in.

"Tobi!" Aina cheered.

"Tobi?" Deidara seemed completely surprised, yet... he did see this coming.

"Ah! Sempai, Sempai! Aina-chan! What are you doing?"

"Coloring! Would you like to join us?"

"Ye-"

"No!"

"No?" Aina questioned.

"But Sempaiiii," Tobi whined.

"You'll just make a mess in my room, un!" Deidara said, trying to sound reasonable.

"But Sempai, I don't make messes!"

"Yeah, Tobi is a good boy!"

"Do you think I care?" Deidara glared at the masked man, jealousy staining his tone of voice. "I really don't want him in here, un."

"Well, fine then," Aina replied with a pout. "I'll color elsewhere with Tobi if you're gonna act this way."

This reply caught the blond off guard. His blue eyes blinked. As jealous as he felt of Tobi and the fact he was interrupting his time with her, even though he wouldn't admit it, was he really willing to let her be mad at him and leave? He was such a jealous, possessive idiot...

He sighed. "Fine..." he said quietly. "I guess he can stay... un..."

"YAY! Oh, arigatou, Sempai!" Tobi chirped, hugging his partner.

"DON'T touch me, un!"

"But Sempai...!" Tobi insisted, his arms raising for another hug.

"Put your arms down, you're losing friends, un."

"But Sempaaaaiiii," Tobi seemed to cry, "it's not my fault that 'Kuzu doesn't let me buy deodorant!"

"Then take more freaking showers, un!"

"Ok, that's enough, guys," Aina said, face-palming. "Tobi can color with us."

Tobi sat down next to the green-haired girl. "Arigatou, Aina-chan!" Aina replied with a smile and looked over at the hot-headed blond bomber.

"Are you still staying to color?" she asked, letting her brown eyes seem to sparkle and shine, somehow looking as smooth as chocolate.

This was something that Deidara, for some reason, felt completely weak against. "U-un..."

Aina's smile grew bigger. "Yay~!"

Despite the fact that Tobi had now ruined his alone time with the eccentric kunoichi, Deidara couldn't help but smile. He sat back down in his spot and, trying to calm down, continued to color. While he colored, he suddenly came to a realization.

No matter how much time he spent with Aina, whether it be alone or with others, he cherished every moment of it, and he wasn't about to let that go.

"Ah! Sempai, Sempaiii! Look! It's the Yondaime! He looks so much cooler than you!" Tobi sang out, showing him a colored picture of him to the blond. "He and Aina would look great together, don't you think?"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!" Deidara growled and leaped to attack the man in the orange mask. "SUFFOCATION NO JUTSU!"

"Wait! Guys! NO!"


	5. Akatsuki Dance Partay!

Chapter 4: Akatsuki Dance Partay!

Author's note: (Ninoandjaffar) Hey, long time since I did one of these! But, I figured it was necessary for this chapter! I firstly want to thank those who've commented to us! We love hearing that people like our silly crazy ideas! Secondly, you may want to open another tab; go to youtube and look up Naruto Shippuden Ending 8 or Bacchikoi! This will be important to be able to reference for the end of this chapter. Other than that, play some techno music and enjoy!

:::::

It was a long day for the Akatsuki organization. Quite honestly, there was nothing for anyone to do. They were all waiting on two of their comrades to return with hopefully good news on bringing one of the Jinchuuriki with them. Deidara sighed, obviously somehow bored out of his mind.

"I'm boooooored, un," he whined in a mumble.

"Then get up and do something, baka," Kisame replied.

"Do you WANT me to blow you up, puffer fish, un?"

"SHARK. I'm a SHARK."

"Yeah, a terror shark, un!"

Kisame looked at the blond questioningly and just walked away. The young bomber MUST have been bored to say something that stupid and nonsensical.

"Yeah, I thought so," Deidara mumbled again, "un."

"What are you babbling about now, Deidara?" Sasori asked as he walked into the room.

"Kisame's being a terror puffer fish, un."

"...What?"

"Never mind, un."

"DEEEEEEIDARA!" called out a familiar voice, carrying his name with a sort of tune. Deidara immediately looked up. Sasori could have sworn for a moment, he saw his blue eyes sparkle with a sort of hopeful anticipation. "Deidara, Deidara, let's do something together!" Aina came skipping in with a grin.

"What kind of something, un?" he wondered aloud.

"Oh, I don't know~" she giggled. "Maybe a sort of partay?"

"Partay? You mean party, un."

"No, no. Par-TAY," she implied, putting emphasis on the last part of the word.

"...Well, what kind of par-TAY, un?"

"A dance partay!"

Deidara blinked. "Dance party?"

"Par-TAY," she reminded him.

"Right, un."

"Anyways, I think we should have a dance partay," she continued. "It would help make the day go by faster."

Deidara stared at her. "I don't dance, un."

"What?" her eyes went wide with shock. "That's preposterous!"

"Not really, un."

"I think he has two left feet," Sasori stated.

"Do not!" Deidara frowned. "You of all people probably have two left feet, Danna! You're a puppet, un!"

Sasori glared a bit in return. "That's not for you to judge."

"It will be," Deidara grinned quite maliciously, "when we hit the dance floor, un."

"So we ARE having a dance partay then!" Aina cheered. "BRING OUT THE TECHNO!"

"UN!"

"I AM THE TERROR THAT LURKS IN YOUR BATHTUB!"

"GYAAAHH!" screamed Deidara as he jumped away, only to find Kisame laughing his head off.

"Who's a terror shark? I'M THE TERROR SHARK! HA HA!"

"NOT FUNNY, PUFFER FISH! UN!"

"What's going on?" Emi said, opening the door and peering in. "It's so noisy..."

"Ah! Emi, perfect!" Aina grinned and ran over to her friend.

"Eh?"

"Come on! We're having a partay!"

"A party?"

"Par-TAY."

"Oh! What kind of par-TAY?"

"A dance partay! Come on and join us!"

As she was being dragged by Aina, she could only let out a small gasp. "Um...ok."

Deidara and Sasori watched as the two girls danced. Aina made a point of seeing just how much she could flail her arms and legs while Emi kept herself fairly still, save for her hips swaying with the beat and small arm movements. The green-haired girl laughed uncontrollably as she moved about the room.

"Sasori, Dei-dei! Join us!" she yelled above the music.

Both men looked to each other, baffled and confused. Neither wanted to partake, but how much of a choice did they have?

Deidara was the first to move, coming to stand near Aina. "Ok, what do I do?"

"What do you mean, 'what do I do?' You move to the beat!"

"But how?"

Aina gave out a loud sigh that could be heard over the blasting techno beat. "Ok, start with your hips. Move them from side to side to the beat!" She demonstrated what she wanted him to do.

Skeptical, Deidara attempted to do what she asked. It was a minute before he was able to get in sync with the music.

Aina smiled to him. "That's right! Now, move your arms with it. Try waving them from side to side, like this."

As the green-haired kunoichi continued to teach Deidara, Sasori watched the two intently, as if attempting to learn the simple moves. This caught Emi's eye and she smiled.

"Are you going to join us, Danna?" she asked over the music as she danced.

"I... um, I dunno..." he replied, still watching the two dance.

"Please, Danna?" her eyes twinkled.

"Well..."

"Please?"

After a moment of watching her eyes sparkle like fireworks, he finally sighed. "Alright."

He walked over next to Emi, still watching them dance, studying their moves...

And then he started.

He gently grasped her small hands in his own, guiding her across the 'dance floor.' His foot work was flawless, managing to avoid her feet even with her confused stumbling. Quite quickly, he realized how much he actually liked doing this. A smile grew on his face as he led the girl, twirling her, flipping her, doing all sorts of crazy dance moves. Oddly enough, he came to the conclusion that dancing was actually very similar to puppeteering. It was all in his hands and what he wanted Emi to do.

Despite all of Emi's stumbling, she soon enough started to catch on, his hands being her guide as to what was coming next. A grin on her face appeared as she started to laugh with joy. This only made Sasori grin and spin her into his arms.

"And now for a dip!" he said, doing just as he stated.

Emi let out a gasp as she leaned backwards against the puppeteer's arm. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking she might fall to the ground, but Sasori proved he could hold her up.

"Whoa!" Emi's eyes went wide with surprised wonder. She couldn't help but laugh more. This guy was totally gifted with mad skittlez of amazingness!

"Whoa! He can do that?" Aina grinned with excitement.

"He can dance, un?"

Sasori helped Emi back onto her feet. "I'm ok, I suppose," he said, blushing slightly.

"Only ok? Sasori, that was amazing!" Aina shouted to him. "I mean, the timing with the music was flawless, and the moves looked so complicated. And how you ended it right on the music? Perfect!"

"Sasori," Emi's quiet voice chimed in. "I thought you did really well. Domo arigatou gozaimasu!"

Sasori's smile grew. "Douitashimashite."

"Would you," she started, looking at her feet. "Would you dance with me some more?"

His eyes softened. "As you wish."

A blush was quick to appear on Emi's face. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to notice as the puppeteer took her by the hand and led her into another dance.

"Man," Deidara stood there, feeling a bit stupid. "He's something else... un..."

"D'aww, don't feel bad!" Aina smiled. "Not everyone has a penchant for dancing! Besides, you'll get used to it and learn, if that's what you want to do!"

"Un..."

"Dude, I can't believe Sasori can dance like that..." Kisame watched in awe.

"Who's dancing?" the raven-haired Itachi asked as he walked into the room and saw the others dancing to techno. "...Whoa."

"Yeah. Whoa."

"Let's show him, Aina!" Deidara suddenly shouted in anticipation. "Let's show him we're better, un!"

"Alright!"

The green-haired girl started dancing again, flailing her limbs, only to have one of her wrists caught by the blond shinobi.

"Ah-ah," he said, indicating not to dance like that. "We're dancing together, un."

"Oh!"

Deidara then took her hands, also leading her out to the 'dance floor,' a few feet away from Sasori and Emi. He watched them a bit, particularly Sasori, and started to unsteadily copy him for a bit, before trying to go off and do his own dance moves with his partner.

His moves were unsteady as he attempted to guide her around. Aina found herself stumbling from not being able to read his movements.

"Have you ever danced before?" she asked him.

The blond gave her a sheepish smile. "Heh heh, no, never got the chance."

"In that case," she dragged him around. "I get to lead!"

"Don't the guys lead?"

"Usually, but since you have no idea what you're doing, and I do, I'll lead!"

Aina continued to guide him around, Deidara slowly but surely beginning to be able to read her movements.

"Have you danced before, un?" the blond asked her.

"I took some ballet classes back in Amegakure, but this isn't too much harder."

Though not quite as spectacular as Emi and Sasori, the two teenagers were able to dance in unison...for the most part. The occasional foot-stepping took place, usually by Deidara. Smiles began to grow on their faces as they became more confident.

Sasori's brown eyes glanced over at the competition. "So, they think they can be better?" He grinned to Emi.

"They are good, even though Aina's leading."

"It's all her, though. Deidara has no idea what he's doing... baka."

Emi giggled. "It's not as easy as you think to follow. I think he's doing a very good job."

"If it helps him sleep at night, I'll let him believe he's actually dancing."

Itachi and Kisame watched in awe at the techno-ballroom dance partay. Neither one of them knew what to do.

"You know," Kisame started. "It's probably been a good ten years since I've danced."

"You've danced at all? I'm surprised," Itachi looked at him questioningly.

"Well, I've done lots of stuff back in the day no one knows about."

"Full of surprises, as per usual."

"Mayhaps I could demonstrate?" He extended a blue hand to his partner.

"Oh, Kisame, I thought you'd never ask!" Itachi jokingly mocked a stereotypical young girl, letting Kisame lead him out to the 'dance floor.'

After a while of pretty much ballroom dancing to techno, a song that two certain girls loved to dance to came on as two other Akatsuki members gradually found their way into the partay room.

Aina and Emi gasped as soon as they heard the guitar strum. "BACCHIKOOOOOOIIII!"

"WHACHYA!" Hidan shouted with the music right after them as the three started to dance.

"Huh?" Sasori and Deidara's eyebrows arched with great question.

"I'm so confused... un..."

"You haven't heard of Bacchikoi?" Itachi asked. "The girls dance to it all the time."

"Uh..." Sasori thought over, trying to remember any memories of this dance and song. "Since when?"

"Ha! Just watch!" Kisame grinned, folding his arms and watching the now group of four, as Tobi had joined in. The other two turned their eyes to the group as well as the music and official dancing started.

The girls-and two men-started by letting their arms swing diagonally as they let their feet lead them and sway side-to-side. They did this for a good part of the song until the singer's pitch and notes changed; then they gently leaped from side-to-side and shimmied down half-way repeatedly.

"Wh-what kind of dance is that, un?" Deidara asked himself, a blush on his face. 'Aina looks too cute doing that... un!'

"Saa waratee, funbatte, Let's do it do it do it do it!" They all yelled in unison as they leaned in closer together. "Bacchikoi, bacchikoi babe!" They crashed their fist against palms, then punched outwards twice, finally ending with a couple waves of the arms.

Sasori, Deidara, Kisame and Itachi watched as they continued to dance. Kakuzu entered the family room, wondering what could be keeping them up until 3 in the morning with ridiculously loud music. He recognised the song immediatly.

"Oh, goodness... not this again..."

Kisame looked back at the miser. "Yes, this again."

"It's like this is a part of Hidan's religion, with how often he dances to it..."

"Nananananananana, Nanananananananananana! BACCHIKOI!" The group ended by jumping in the air and doing the Bacchikoi poses. A few minutes passed, almost awkwardly, only to have the group start laughing.

"That was so much fun!" Emi squealed.

"It's been a while since we've danced to this!" Aina agreed.

"Tobi had FUN!"

Hidan smiled widely. "I missed that song! We need to do it more often!"

"No," the masked miser said quite bluntly.

"Oh, but 'Kuzu...!"

"No. You do it so much I'm starting to think it's one of your rituals."

"But it IS, 'Kuzu!" Hidan cried innocently. "Jashin-sama LOVES it!"

"...Sure, he does..."

"He DOES!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Itachi said with a grin. "Settle down now."

Emi giggled. "I really love that dance!"

Sasori looked at her. An inane part of his mind was wondering if he learned it, would it cause Emi to like it more? Or... maybe him even more?

'What in the world am I thinking?' He shook his head to himself. 'What AM I thinking? For crying out loud, she's nineteen years younger than me...!'

"Hm," Deidara smiled. "That song was actually catchy, un. Do you think you could teach the dance to me sometime, Aina?"

"Sure! I'd love to!" she chirped. "You'll really like it!"

"I already like it."

"OOOOOOOOOO~~~~!" Tobi and Kisame chimed, both nudging Deidara's arms on opposite sides.

"D-damare!" Deidara shouted. "Un!"

Itachi laughed. "Well, it's late. We should all get some sleep."

"D'awww," Aina pouted a bit. "I suppose you're right..."

Emi yawned. "I am a bit tired..."

"I'll take you to your room," Sasori said quickly.

"You know," Kisame said thoughtfully, "Sasori, you were quite quick to volunteer to do such a thing... Come to think of it, you ALWAYS take her to either hers or your room... I hope you're not doing anything to her!"

"What?" Sasori looked at him, taken aback and red-faced.

"If you tried, Sasori..." Itachi said, his sharingan eyes seeming to glow viciously. "I will, without hesitation, use Tsukuyomi on you. Mark my words..."

"Your words have been marked," the red-head responded faster than lightning. "I'm going to bed now, goodnight!" He quickly made his way to the door, leaving everyone to stare in confusion.

"Well," Hidan broke the silence. "I think that was the most hilarious response I've seen out of 'Puppet Boy' yet!" He chucked to himself.

Deidara couldn't help but let a small laugh escape himself. "Danna's in denial."

Aina rolled her eyes. "He's not the only one. Well, goodnight everyone. See you in the morning."

As she left, Deidara reached out for her. "Aina, what do you mean, un?"

"You're either in denial, or just WAY too dense. Well, 'night!" Kisame said as he headed for the exit, shortly followed by Itachi, who left without a word.

Kakuzu was next to leave. "I'm going back to bed. No more loud music."

"But 'Kuzu...!"

"NO! Now, go to bed, Hidan!"

Hidan tilted his head down, pouting like a four-year-old. "Yes, 'Kuzu..."

Emi reached up to tap his shoulder. "It's ok, Hidan. We can always do Bacchikoi tomorrow!"

The priest's purple eyes lit up. "Yeah, of course! Night Emi."

"Goodnight, Hidan!" She waved to him as he left, leaving just her, Tobi and Deidara in the room.

Deidara let out a massive yawn. "Bed time!"

Emi nodded, following the blond out of the room.

"Goodnight, Sempai!"

"'Night, Tobi."

The orange-masked ninja stood in the center of the empty living room. Looking both directions to ensure the room was empty, he began to sing.

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob Squarepants!"

"TOBI!" a few voices shouted from outside the room.

"Tobi is sorry!" he shouted back. "Tobi is a good boy!"

:::::

Author's Note: Well, there you go! Gotta love techno-ballroom dance partays! Feel free to comment to us about our ability to write dance partays! It's a little harder than we thought, but we did it. Remember that this is a colab with a friend of mine, Sakura Tenshikami! So make sure she is thanked as well! Also, I think we've forgotten this so far, but just incase you needed to know, WE DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS RELATED TO THE SHOW. THE ONLY THINGS WE OWN ARE THE SILLY IDEAS, EMI, AND AINA! Thanks everyone!


	6. Just a typical Dei

Chapter 5: Just A Typical Dei

Another morning came as a blond young man yawned. Waking up was always the hardest thing to do, especially after such a wild dance partay only so many hours before.

"I hate mornings," he groaned. "...Un..."

Slowly, he forced himself up out of his bed, changed into some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom. He yawned again, opening the door and made his way to the mirror, starting his morning routine. Teeth, face, nails... Finally, he started tending to his hair with his comb and soft-bristled brush.

Suddenly, he heard some rustling from beside him. At first he thought he was just hearing things, being tired and all, but then he heard it again. Eyebrow arched, he made his way over to the source of the sound. "Heeello...?"

"I AM THE TERROR THAT LURKS IN YOUR BATHTUB!"

"GAAAAAAAH!" Deidara jumped back, heart pounding, almost in a heart-attack as the blue shark-man started laughing hysterically in the porcelain tub.

"You fell for it AGAIN!" Kisame laughed heartily. "You are so much fun to scare!"

"SHUT UP, YOU TURD!" Deidara screamed. "UN!"

Storming out of the bathroom, the bomber made his way to the kitchen for breakfast. Entering the room, his eyes were immediately drawn to one of the most foul colors to ever plague his existence... orange.

"'Morning, Sempai!" Tobi shouted. It may have been 8 in the morning, but Tobi always managed to have vast amounts of energy at all times.

"'Morning, Tobi, un," Deidara mumbled. Heading to the cupboard, the blond pulled out a box of cereal along with a bowl and spoon.

He poured some cereal into the bowl, then headed to the fridge, opening the door. He scanned the shelves, looking for the milk. Once he found the carton, he headed back to his bowl and opened it. As it poured out, it came in chunks, making a sickening sound.

"Tobi," he began slowly, sounding disgusted. "Do you have any idea how old this is?"

"Well, no one's been to the store in about a week, so I'd say it's maybe...a few weeks old."

"Ugh! This is just fantastic, un!" He took his bowl to the trash, emptying it's contents. He placed the bowl in the sink, then opted for some toast.

After setting up the toaster, he went to sit at the massive dinning room table...as far from Tobi as possible.

"So," Tobi started, "how is Sempai today?"

Deidara glared at the masked-ninja. "Just great," he responded sarcastically.

"Tobi is doing good too!" he sang joyfully. "I think today will be a great day!"

"I'm so happy for you, un."

The room fell silent for the next few minutes as Tobi continued drinking some coffee. The sound of the toaster going off broke the silence, though no one talked while Deidara got up to retrieve his food. He took a knife and buttered them, tossed the knife into the sink and stuffed one of the toast slices into his mouth. Not bothering to go back to the dining room, he headed for the family room to eat. He sat on the couch and munched on his toast, trying to relax.

"Sempaiiii," Tobi called out. "Sempai- Oh! There you are!"

"Ugh," Deidara groaned. "What do you want, un?"

"Well, Sempai, we should paint nails together! I could do yours and..."

"No," Deidara interjected. "I'm not painting nails with you, un!"

Shoving the last piece of toast in his mouth, the blond started down the hallway.

"Maybe later, Sempai?"

"No!"

Aina, the green-haired kunoichi, started down the hallway towards the kitchen. She saw her friend and partner walking towards her. Letting a grin creep onto her face, she paused just before passing him.

She stuck her tongue out at him, making a 'nya!' sound. Deidara blink a couple times, thinking of what to do. Then, it hit him.

'I have three tongues!' he thought joyfully. He held both of his hands up, letting the tongues hang out. He stuck his original tongue out as well, mimicking her noise.

"Ew!" she recoiled, obviously disgusted.

The blond let out a snicker. "I take that as a victory?"

"This time," she huffed.

He chuckled, a grin on his face. "That's what you get for sticking your tongue out at me."

"Deidara, are you torturing Aina?" Itachi asked as he entered the room.

"She asked for it, heh heh."

"Don't make me give you a wet willy," she warned, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

He laughed lightly. "Better watch it, I could easily give you one two-fold." He held up his hands to remind her he had an eerie-looking mouth on each hand.

"Ah!" Aina made a face, the realization striking her.

"You both are something else," the sharingan-eyed man stated, rolling his eyes.

It was a few hours later, and Deidara found himself in his room. Sprawled about his workbench were about a dozen little army men. They were divided into two teams, one half on one side of the workbench, and the other on the other half. Using his explosive clay, the blond made a scene for the plastic soldiers.

"All right, team! Let's move out, un!" he said, pretending to be the leader of one side.

"Yes, sir!" he had the others respond. He began moving them, two at a time across the table. As he moved the fifth and sixth ones, they were about to meet with the rest when...

BOOM!

A small explosion, only about the size of Deidara's head went off. He smiled as he pretended to be shocked.

"Oh, no! The enemy has laid out mines! What are we gonna do, un?"

He moved the enemy commander out to the edge of the 'battle field.'

"Ah, ha ha ha ha! So, you have found our field of bombs, un!" the commander shouted. "Now, because we are such awesome bad guys, we'll tell you our secret! Our secret is...Deidara!"

"Geijutsu wa bakuhatsu da, un!" he shouted, moving a small clay version of himself out next to the commander.

"Oh, noes!" the other team gasped in unison. "We'll never be able to defeat them, if they have Deidara no Danna!"

"Bwahahahahaha! Victory will be ours! Get them, Deidara!"

"With pleasure, un!"

Deidara's miniature clone then jumped onto a small clay bird. Using his chakra, he made the bird fly around the battle field.

"Katsu!" he yelled. The rest of the small 'land mines' went off, blowing the rest of the first team's soldiers to dust.

"We won!" Deidara had the commander shout. He mimicked the sound of a crowd as the winning team cheered for him.

"I have brought you victory. However..." Deidara's smile grew into a devious grin, "by orders of the Akatsuki, you are to be defeated as well, un! Katsu!"

The workbench lit up as the clay landscape exploded, including the mini-Deidara. The blond bomber laughed like a mad-man at the bright light.

"My art will always win, un!" he said triumphantly. He pushed his chair back and got up to stretch. As he turned, he saw none other than Sasori standing at his door.

"Really? I'm pretty sure my art would win any day," the scorpion smirked.

"Yeah? Wanna challenge me?"

"Where and when, Danna?"

"How about this afternoon, two o'clock? We'll have a little spar. Emi and Aina can judge as well. You know they will agree with me." He pushed off of the door frame, heading back down the hallway.

"You're on, un!"

It was finally the time that the artistic bomber had anticipated. He waited outside, Aina sitting on the ground playing with some blades of grass next to him. The blond tapped his foot, almost impatiently as he looked around for his art rival.

"Is he seriously late, un?" Deidara complained to no one in particular.

"Not yet," Aina said. "Technically, he still has thirty seconds."

"Well, you know..." he glanced at the green-haired chick with a smug look on his face, "if I blow up your watch, it won't matter, now will it, un!"

"Well, that's not very nice to say!" Aina pouted.

"I'm not always nice, un."

It was then that Deidara spotted familiar dark-red hair coming towards the two. He gave a cocky grin, but then let his impatience get the best of him.

"Way to make me wait, un!"

"Well, that's what you get for being early, brat..." Sasori replied indifferently, Emi following close behind him.

"I wasn't early!" he stated. "I arrived here thirty freakin' minutes ago, un!"

"Sounds pretty early to me," Aina shrugged to herself.

"You're not helping, Aina, un!"

"Could we just start this and get it over with?" Sasori asked. "I have better things to do after showing you that I'm still more skilled in art and fighting than you are."

Deidara puffed out a cheek. "Just wait till I show you up, un!"

"Um... Please don't hurt each other too bad..." Emi tried to smile, though her concern shown through.

Sasori glanced over and his hardened eyes softened. He lifted a hand and pat her head. "Don't worry," he replied, giving her a small smile, "I won't kill him."

"Ah..." Emi looked up at him from under his hand and nodded. "Ok."

"Oh, how cute, un," Deidara said in an intimidating tone. "Can we please start this now?"

"If you're ready to get your ego kicked, then yes."

Deidara gave him a threatening sneer, his head bowed a bit, blue eye glaring. "It's yours that's going to get kicked, Pinocchio, un."

Sasori's eye seemed to twitch at that word. That name...

The scorpion then smirked venomously. "Try me."

With that, the puppet master suddenly brought out one of his puppets, while the bomber dug his hands into his pouches of clay. Sasori swung his arm, the chakra strings commanding the puppet to fly towards the blond shinobi, only to have said blond dodge and throw his hands out below him, the mouths on his hands ejecting a clay bird. With one hand sign, he called out a word and the small ceramic art poofed into a bigger version of the bird.

In turn, Sasori jumped into a tree thanks to the forest surrounding them. The puppet followed.

"Ha!" Deidara called out. "Hiding from me? It's so obvious where you're hiding, un!" He took out some more clay and let the mouth on his hand chew on it, kneading some chakra into it. The extra mouth then spit it out and he formed it into a few spiders. "Let's see if you can hide from these, Danna, un," he said to himself and threw the spiders down around the area Sasori hid. A grin showed on his face as he brought his hand up, making his trade-mark hand sign.

"KATSU!"

Boom-boom-boom-boom! went all the little spiders as each individual one exploded. Leaves, sticks, and debris fell everywhere, as well did Sasori and his puppet.

A gasp escaped Emi's lips. "Danna!"

Poof! The two figures were suddenly logs as they tumbled and rolled on the ground.

"Substitution...!" Deidara growled. He thought for sure Sasori was there!

"You know," came a voice from behind him. He turned, already knowing it was Sasori. He had jumped and was now using his propeller blades to get him onto Deidara's clay fowl. "You could be more considerate of our little judges down below and be more careful."

"Sasori no Danna...!" Deidara gaped slightly. Was he really that close to the ground or did his Danna really jump that high? "I WAS being careful!"

"Sure," Sasori, now uncloaked, let his cord swing itself over and around the cocky blond ninja. Deidara in turn tried to jump out of the way, but was caught by the ankle. "Just not careful with yourself."

The blond gasped as the cable forced him back down onto the clay bird. The force managed to create a dent in the birds back. Letting a pout onto his face, he threw his hand up, letting some clay spiders latch onto the red-head.

"Crap," was all the puppeteer could manage before the spiders exploded, sending him off of the flying creature. He crashed into the trees below, outside of Deidara's vision.

"See, my art is better, un!" Deidara grinned.

"Lies," Sasori shouted as a cloud of poison-laced needles headed for the blond. Said blond's eyes widened before he jumped off of his bird, hardly managing to avoid the needles. He landed on a near-by tree, quickly reaching for more clay. "I don't think so, Deidara!" Another shower of needles came.

"Gah!" the bomber cried before jumping to the ground. He ran as fast as he could, making it back to Emi and Aina. "Hello, ladies, un!" he managed as he passed them.

"Don't think you're getting away, brat!" Sasori pursued him, also passing the girls. He waved wordlessly as he passed them. Both girls starred in confusion as the two men ran past them.

"How long do you give them?" Emi asked, purple-blue eyes blinking.

"Hm... I'd say another five minutes or so, then Sasori'll have Deidara cornered."

"You mean, you don't think Deidara will win?"

Aina huffed. "Deidara admits it himself, Sasori's better. Why do you think he's 'Sasori no Danna?' It's because Deidara admits he's better."

"Oh," Emi thought on it a moment. "I suppose that would make sense."

"Just watch, you'll see."

Deidara found himself by a massive cliff. He looked around, attempting to figure out what he wanted to do. A flash of orange caught his attention, though.

"Sempai?" Tobi's voice called to him. "Sempai! What are you doing out here?" The masked ninja waved to him as he approached.

"I should ask you the same thing!" the bomber shouted, slightly annoyed.

"Well, I found the most wonderful patch of flowers a little bit ago, and..."

"That's wonderful, Tobi. Right now, though, I need a plan."

Tobi tilted his head to the side. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to show Sasori no Danna that my art is better, un."

"Well, I think your art is nice, Sempai." Deidara could tell that under his mask, Tobi was smiling.

"Thanks," he waved the comment off. Then, his eyes lit up. "Tobi, you can phase through things, right?"

"Yes, Sempai! What are you thinking?"

"Well, here's the plan..."

Sasori was only a moment behind Deidara, reaching the cliff-side. "Now, where did that stupid blond go...?" he spoke out-loud. "I know you're here. Come out, come out, wherever you..." His foot stuck into the ground slightly. And explosion blasted the bottom of his foot, sending him back. Sasori blinked completely confused. "Wha... what was that?"

"Oh, Danna~" Deidara called. Looking up, Sasori saw Deidara on a clay bird... with Tobi? "Be careful of the land mines, they are all around you!"

"Land mines? When? Did you have Tobi help you?" Sasori growled. "That's not fair!"

"Hey, that's what we get for setting next to no rules! I can use Tobi if I find him!"

"Anything for Sempai!" Tobi commented joyfully.

'What am I gonna do?' the red-head thought to himself. His propeller blades could only help him so much; they didn't quite provide him flight like Deidara's clay birds. They could only increase his jumping distance. Sasori then came up with an idea. 'I wonder...' He then threw up some more needles into the air, aimed at the two in the sky.

Deidara and Tobi watched as the needles came up and fell, missing them. "HA!" Deidara cried with a huge grin. "You missed, un!"

"Not quite," Sasori replied quietly as the rain of needles made contact with the ground.

KRSSSHHHH! The land mines suddenly exploded all around in front of Sasori. Deidara watched in slight baffled confusion as he watched the world below go up in smoke, dust, and debris. He quickly glanced over to see that the girls had had to jump out of the way, due to some land mines being right next to them.

"TOBI!" Deidara yelled. "WHAT KIND OF BAKA PLANTS LAND MINES NEAR GIRLS, UN?"

"One who has girls as enemies...?" Tobi replied innocently.

A growl emerged deep from Deidara's throat. "SUFFOCATION!"

"GAH!" Tobi gagged as the terrorist bomber knocked him off his feet with his body weight, legs wrapped around the masked man's neck. It was only then that Deidara realized...

He had just knocked the two off his bird.

"Crap... un..." Deidara muttered with a very unamused look on his face.

Sasori watched as the two landed on a missed landmine just a few yards away from him. He just stood there as the underground bomb exploded and looked at the two judges. "Are you two alright?" he called out.

"We're fine!" Aina yelled back.

He nodded and turned his attention back to the other two. The puppet master bravely, yet carefully walked over, stepping in places where the needles had touched. Thankfully, these were all C1 bombs. Once he got there, he detached his arm, revealing a short sword, which he held up to Deidara's throat. "Who's the best at art, brat?"

"You may have won this fight, but art is fleeting, un."

"No, it isn't, brat. Now get up."

"Fine, un," he sighed as he and Tobi got up, following Sasori back to the two girls.

"See, what did I tell you, Emi!" Aina smiled.

The purple-hair girl smiled. "Sasori did win!" she smiled as she ran to the winner. Her arms opened up just in time for her to collide with him, hugging him. Sasori stumbled back a little, but let his arms wrap around her.

"Ha ha! You lost, Dei-Dei!" Aina chuckled.

"Don't even start with me, un!" the blond snapped.

Aina stepped back, a grin still on her face. "Aw... Is Deidara mad?"

He huffed, storming past the green-haired girl.

"Sempai, Tobi is sorry!" The orange-masked ninja followed his friend.

Deidara whipped around to face him. "You! You are the reason I lost, un!" His wrist flicked towards Tobi, tossing a centipede at him. Tobi didn't have time to cry out before the bomber yelled, "Katsu!"

The orange-masked ninja went flying into the air, yelling loudly.

"Hm," Deidara grumbled. "Takes care of that problem, un!" He let a grin adorn his face as he continued inside.

Aina followed shortly afterwards. "You can be funny when you're mad, Deidara..."

Meanwhile, Emi and Sasori stood there, holding each other. It was a good couple minutes before Emi finally stepped back. Both blushed furiously as they suddenly found the ground fascinating.

"I...um," Emi started. "Congratulations, Sasori."

"Thanks," Sasori brought a hand up to run through his red hair.

Emi smiled shyly at the puchinello. "We should probably head back inside."

Sasori nodded and followed her back into the Akatsuki head quarters.

Later that evening, Deidara let his body flop onto his bed. "Oooooouch," he groaned through his blankets. The burns he had gotten from his landmines were still fresh. Why did he have Tobi help? Why? He was such an idiot...

"Still whining about those burns?" Aina asked, leaning on the door frame with a slightly amused smirk.

"Oh, beh kwayeh, uhn," came Deidara's muffled voice from within the blankets.

"You're such a baby!" Aina grinned as she jumped onto the bed next to him and gave him a good pat on the back.

"OOOUUUUUCH!" Deidara's back curved inwards as his head and legs flexed off the bed. He almost looked like a fish out of water that way...

It took every bit of effort Aina had to keep herself from laughing. "Oh! Gomen nasai, Dei-Dei! I didn't realize they still hurt that much!"

"Lies! Un!"

"Hey, is that a tear in your eye?"

"No, un!" He quickly wiped the tear away with his blanket.

Aina smiled, still trying not to laugh as she shook her head side-to-side. "Oh, come now," she said, grabbing at his belly shirt. "If you're going to complain this much, then take your shirt off."

"WHAT?" Deidara's face went completely red as his head shot up from the blankets.

"What? You want those burns gone or not? Take your shirt off or I will."

Deidara just sat there on his hands and knees, shocked and baffled that what he thought she was saying was just a false alarm. Goodness, why did she have to scare him like that? Finally, he gained back as much of his confidence and composure as he could muster and lifted his shirt off, followed by the fishnet shirt... after he turned his back to her.

"Hmm..." Aina studied the explosive burns on his back and gathered up some chakra to her hands. "It's not as bad as you make it out to be."

"Pfft," Deidara let out a skeptic sigh. "Let's see you land on a mine... un."

"No thanks, I'm fine." Aina said as she placed her hands above his back. "Well, here we go."

He could feel her chakra enter his body. It was a warm feeling, as her chakra started repairing his skin. The red flesh began to turn it's original tan shade after a moment. Deidara couldn't help but let a sigh escape as she finished up, placing her hands back at her side.

"All set," she smiled to him. He turned around to look at her. Her eyes were slightly drooped, tired from the chakra use. His face reddened.

"Thanks, Aina, un," he smiled back.

"You're welcome. Just... please don't do that again."

The blond let out a chuckle. "I'll try. I can make no promises, though, un."

"That's about all I can ask of you." She carefully got off the bed and started for the door. "I need some rest now, and you should rest too. Your back may still hurt a little, but it should be gone by morning."

"Ok, thanks, un."

She paused at the door frame. "Goodnight, Deidara."

"Goodnight, Aina."

The green-haired girl stood there, looking at the blond for a good moment before finally going on her way.

Deidara couldn't help but look back at her for that moment. Maybe he was way too tired, but she was kind of pretty, looking at him with a small, genuine smile. As she left, he felt himself snap back into reality.

Naw, he didn't like her like that! No way, not at all... right?

He shook his head and sighed, flopping back on his bed. "Ah...!" he cringed slightly. Aina was right though, he noticed. It didn't hurt as much as it did just a few minutes ago. Experiences like this is what made him start to appreciate medical ninjutsu, even if he didn't show or think about it all the time. Deidara decided that, as the medical kunoichi had said, it was best to rest. He adjusted to his bed and blankets, not bothering to change, and closed his eyes...

Tap, tap, tap! Deidara's eyes flicked open to a small tapping sound on his window.

"Ugh, what now, un?" he slowly rolled over and closed his eyes again.

Tap, tap, tap! came from the window again. Tap, tap, tap, tap...!

"Ugh..." Deidara got out of bed, now irritated, and opened his curtain, where a figure stood crouched. He opened the window. "Tobi! What the crap are you doing, un?"

"I finally made my way back," Tobi replied. "You shot me a long ways, Sempaiiii. That wasn't very nice!"

"You better get out of here before I send you twice that distance, un."

"Ok, ok, I get it!" Tobi held his hands up defensively.

"Will you go away now, un?"

"Just one more thing, Sempai!" Tobi now had an innocent tone to his voice.

The teen bomber sighed. "What, un?"

"I came to give you a hug good night!" Tobi chimed, holding his arms out to Deidara. "Hug me, Sempaaaaiiiii~!"

The blond was suddenly irked. "That's IT!" Deidara swung his arm and let his fist land right into Tobi's gut, sending him flying back into the sky.

"GOOD NIGHT, SEMPAAAAIIIIiiiii...!" Tobi's voice faded the farther he went.

"Good night, and good riddance, un!" Deidara almost slammed his window shut as he headed back to his bed.

It was about time he get a good night's sleep.

~Did you really think we'd forget about Tobi? Well, we didn't! XD That must have been one of the longest and most difficult chapters for us. Neither of us (Ninoandjaffar and ) have ever written battle scenes before...so you should tell us how we did! Thanks for reading this! We hope to get some more chapters up soon! ~Ninoandjaffar!


	7. Kakuzu's Dawning Apocalypse

AN: Holy long chapter, Batman! Sorry that this chapter ended up so long...I think it's roughly twice as long as our other chapters. But, this one is filled with all sorts of shenanigans and hijinx as the Akatsuki go shopping!

Sakura-chan (, not Sakura Haruno...) and I had so much fun writing this and would love to get some feed-back on it! We also send out a huge THANK YOU to all who have commented of out story thus far! You are part of the inspiration that keeps us going! We'd be so bummed if no one liked our story...We also want to make sure everyone knows...we don't own the Akatsuki! We only take credit for Aina and Emi! Ok, without further delay...

Chapter 6: Kakuzu's Dawning Apocalypse

"Five minutes, meet in the family room," Pein-sama's voice could be heard through-out the hideout. Sure enough, five minutes went by and everyone was gathered in the family room. Itachi, Kisame, and Zetsu were the only exceptions, seeing they were out on a mission.

Pein and Konan were seated together on a love seat, while the others piled up on couches. Tobi, Deidara, Aina, Emi, and Sasori piled on one of the couches, while Hidan and Kakuzu sat on the other, both sitting as far from the other as possible.

"Tobi," Deidara started. "Why don't you go sit over there, un?"

"But, I want to sit with my sempai~"

"Well, maybe I want some breathing space, un!"

Tobi pouted from behind his mask. "But, sempai..." His voice suddenly changed, attempting to sound more feminine. "I'm a little schoolgirl, in love with her sempai~!"

The blond abruptly stood up, storming to sit between Hidan and Kakuzu. "No hard feelings, Aina, but I can't sit there, un."

The green-haired ninja found herself seated next to the orange-masked man, a facial expression similar to Deidara's as he found the spoiled milk only days before. "I can't blame you at all."

"Pipe down, all of you," the leader's voice interrupted. "This will only take a couple minutes. Everyone just quite down and tolerate everyone until then."

He gave them a moment to calm down. Aina made a point of moving as far from Tobi as possible, though on the three-person couch, it was much easier said than done. Deidara kept his eyes away from Tobi, and everyone else watched with confused looks on their faces.

"Good, now let's begin. Surely, everyone is aware of the fact that we have almost no food left in the hideout." Everyone nodded. "And I've received several complaints about needing some new weapons or supplies." Again, everyone nodded. "So today, you will all be going into town to purchase what is necessary.

"Kakuzu, you and Hidan will go to the bank and withdraw $1,000."

"WHAT?" The miser's eyes widened in horror, much like a little girl who's kitten just got ran over would look like. "You have GOT to be kidding!"

"Kakuzu, you have been holding back on us for a good few months now. It's about time we can cook a decent meal and have decent supplies," Konan's calm voice reasoned.

He huffed as he hardly managed to contain his anger, sinking further into the couch. Deidara found himself feeling an ominous cloud cover him, like he could die any minute...

"Konan and Emi will go looking for food. You will be given $300 for this. Please only buy essentials, we don't need another 20 boxes of Twinkies..."

Everyone let out a small chuckle as they remembered the last time they went shopping. Hidan had insisted they get some Twinkies, and so he and Deidara managed 10 boxes each back to the hideout. Needless to say, Pein-sama didn't take to well to this.

"Can we at least get some Mountain Dew?" Hidan asked.

Pein let out a sigh. "If it's on sale, you can get two twenty-four packs."

A quick round of cheering commenced before the Akatsuki meeting continued.

"Sasori, Deidara, and Aina will go to the weapon's shop. I have a list of the supplies you will need. $500 should be enough."

"What about the $200 left?" Kakuzu questioned, irritation in his voice.

"That would be for clothing and other things you find. Some of you look like you could use some new clothes. And we've been looking for a new bathroom rug for a while now...if you find one, pick it up."

"Really...?" Kakuzu's eye seemed to twitch irritatingly. "A rug? You want to waste precious money on a rug?"

"Do you really want to waste money on medical bills?"

"We have two medical ninja here!"

"But they'd probably need equipment too, if someone were to slip on the tiles. Speaking of which, the tiles are freezing too, no matter how hot the shower is."

Kakuzu seemed to growl, only to have the multi-pierced Pein-sama glare at him with his Rinnegan eyes. The zombie man, in turn, just slouched, pouting to himself.

Pein turned his attention back to the rest of the organization. "Any other complaints?"

The others shook their heads or stayed silent. Quite honestly, the kekkei genkai, Rinnegan, could be a very, VERY scary thing...

"Good. You are all dismissed," he said, standing up. "Oh, one other thing, there's a list of weapons here." He took out a paper shuriken from his cloak and chucked it effortlessly towards Sasori, whom easily caught it. "Don't get anything else that isn't on the list... And don't forget that rug." With that, he left to his quarters, Konan waving him off.

"Well, then... un..." Deidara said after a long, awkward pause.

Konan turned to the rest of the group. "Let's be on our way then. It's best we get what we need and be done with it."

Without any other words, maybe a few grumbles from Kakuzu, the group slowly got up and followed Pein's right-hand woman out of the room.

Upon their arrival to the village in Amegakure, the group looked around the marketplace, stopping before they could get deep into the area. Konan turned to face them.

"We'll split up and meet back here," she stated. "But first, Kakuzu and Hidan will need to withdraw the money we need from the bank."

"Right-o, Konan!" Hidan smiled. "How's this, we'll get the money and then just split up to meet up with you guys so you all don't have to stand around?"

"That's fine," Konan replied after some thought. "Just be sure to find us as soon as you get the money."

"Alright," the priest grabbed Kakuzu's arm. "LETTUCE LEAF, 'KUZU!"

"Don't touch me!" the miser growled as he was led away by the sacrificial priest.

"You know," Deidara said as he watched the two go off, "this must be torturing Kakuzu, un."

"It's only a matter of time," Sasori replied. "Let's go."

"Un," the blond nodded. "Let's go, Aina, un."

"I'm already waaay ahead of you," the kunoichi called back, being, in fact, quite a few yards away from them, along with Tobi.

"Hurry up, Sempai~!" Tobi chirped.

"Hey! Wait for us, un!" Deidara called, running after them, followed by Sasori.

Konan glanced over at the young girl beside her. "Shall we go shopping then?"

Emi smiled and nodded. "Hai!" she chimed, following the older kunoichi.

It was quite an interesting trip to the bank for Hidan. A lot of it concerned the priest having to drag Kakuzu during random points on their way there. And _definitely_ a lot of trying to persuade his partner.

"Ah, come on, 'Kuzu," Hidan grinned. "It's not that bad! We'll always get more money later!"

"More money to make up for the money we spent, less money to make up for the money that could have been saved," he grumbled.

"Don't be like that! It's just so we can live, you know? Food, clothing, and weapons are necessities for us!"

"A freaking bathroom rug isn't a necessity."

"Oh, come now! If it'll make you feel better, I can even manage without shirts for you!"

This caught Kakuzu's attention. If Hidan went without shirts...

The offer was tempting. No more shirts for Hidan, meant saving more money... And Hidan actually came up with this brilliant idea? Inconceivable!

"Deal," Kakuzu said as they reached the bank. "No more shirts for you."

"That's fine," Hidan smiled smugly. "The rest of the Akatsuki and the world itself need to realize I'm probably the most attractive member of the organization anyways!"

"If you were even close to attractive, you would have a girlfriend by now."

"Oohh! Burn!" Hidan grasped at his heart. "Why must you be so cruel to me?"

"Because your very existence is a cruel, unusual joke in my world."

"Nooooooo," Hidan said in a very humorously gruff tone. "Reallyz?"

"Really."

"Well, that sucks," he pouted, referring to his own existence apparently being a joke.

"Yes," Kakuzu said flatly, obviously referring to the fact he had to deal with such a pain, "yes, it sucks _very_ much."

Upon reaching the bank, Kakuzu looked around for a certain face as he walked through the doors. Spotting that person, he casually walked up to him.

"Ginji," Kakuzu said gruffly.

"Oh!" the black-haired man turned around, taking a cigar out of his mouth. "Kakuzu-san, haven't seen you in a while. Got more money to deposit?"

"N... no..." Kakuzu replied reluctantly.

"No? That's an unusual answer."

"You think?"

"Let me guess, you're withdrawing."

"...Y... N-"

"Yes, we are," Hidan said, putting an arm over the 91-year-old man's shoulder. "We're buying our bare necessities!"

"...Aren't bare necessities usually the clothes on your back, the food you can get from your surroundings, and the shelter you make?"

"Exactly!"

"I meant for the wild..."

"Apparently, that's only exclusively for The Jungle Book," Kakuzu mumbled.

"Uh huh... Well, if it's a withdrawal you want, come with me."

Ginji headed for a back room, with Hidan and Kakuzu in tow. Hidan walked with a bounce in his feet, singing to himself. "Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife..."

"If you don't quit singing, I will rip out your vocal chords."

"But 'Kuzu..."

"DON'T!" Kakuzu shouted, earning a few stares from people.

Hidan pouted. "You're no fun..."

"Well, here we are," the black-haired banker interrupted as they reached the massive volt. Entering the code, the door swung open, revealing the massive piles of cash Kakuzu had kept safe for the Akatsuki. "How much will you need?"

"...$1,000..."

"What?" The banker looked horrified. "Are you feeling quite all right, Kakuzu."

"Just get me the money before I get angry."

"You don't want to see 'Kuzu angry..." Hidan half-whispered.

"I think you'll make a fantastic punching bag later today. At least I won't have to worry about destroying your brain, since you seem to lack one," Kakuzu argued while the banker counted out the necessary money.

Hidan puffed out his bottom lip. "You can be so mean to me..."

"If you puff that lip out any more, a little bird is gonna land on it..."

Ginji stepped out of the volt with a bag in hand. "Here it is, $1,000. Hope you can find your 'bare necessities.'"

"The bare necessities of life will come to you~!" Hidan sang, continuing his song.

Kakuzu grabbed the bag, swinging it towards his partner. Hitting Hidan in the gut, the priest went skidding all the way down the long hallway, finally crashing into a small table near the front door.

"Ouch..." Hidan said, slowly standing up. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Your...partner? He isn't very intelligent, is he?"

Kakuzu let out a sigh. "I'm surrounded by idiots..."

"Whoa! This looks amazing!" Aina's eyes lit up as they entered the weapons store. Kunai, shuriken, batons, and so much more lined the walls and shelves scattered about the place. Sasori gently walked past her, while Deidara took humor to her expression.

"Well, hey there," a tall man started. He came from behind a counter, dressed in simple shinobi garb. "What can I do for you?"

Sasori walked up to him, list in hand. "We need this list of supplies. We will have someone meet us here in a few to pay."

"Of course. This'll take me a few minutes anyways."

As the tall man headed into the back. Aina made her way into the massive showroom. "There's so much...awesomeness here!"

"I know, right?" Deidara stood next to her, a smile on his face. "I like it when we get to come here, un."

"I can see why! I wanna see it all!" She ran into the room, starting at the first aisle.

"Hey, be careful, un!" The blond followed her.

"Tobi wants to come, too!" the orange masked man shouted after them.

The green-haired girl stopped abruptly, almost causing the bomber to crash into her. "Kunai!" she shouted, picking one up.

"Gah, be careful, Aina! You're gonna kill us, un!"

"Do they have a range? I've heard at some places, they have a range where you can test the weapon before you buy it..."

"It's in the back." The red-head walked up to the threesome. "I'm sure he won't mind if you try a couple things."

"Let's do this!" the kunoichi shouted.

"Un!" Deidara agreed.

The four ninja made their way to a back room with a massive box of weapons. The puppeteer had predicted this happening, and had made sure to ask the man where it was before heading back to the others.

Aina picked up a kunai, holding it firmly in her hand. "Kya!" She threw it across the range, hitting the target dead on.

"Nicely done, un," Deidara commented, "especially for a medical ninja."

Aina smiled to him. "Well, what do I do if I get cornered by an enemy? I should be able to some-what handle myself, shouldn't I?"

"Excellent point." Sasori handed her a shuriken. "Want to give this a try?"

"Sure! Can't say shuriken were my strong-suit, but what's the harm that could be done?"

"Someone could get sicked with it, beheaded, partially beheaded, the roof could collapse, 'Kuzu could actually spend money willingly... un..." Deidara said in a teasing manner.

"Oh, be quiet, Dei-Dei!" Aina frowned as she focused on the target.

As she threw the shuriken, it sailed up into the air, taking a much higher arch than anticipated. So much so, it hit one of the light fixtures, bouncing back towards the group. With wide eyes, they only had a split second to register what was happening.

"Gah!" Aina looked back to see Deidara collapse onto the ground, the shuriken sticking out of his left arm.

The girl's eyes widened in horror. "Deidara!"

"Sempai!" Tobi shouted, crouching next to the blond. "Sempai, are you ok?"

"Guess this is what karma gave you for jinxing Aina," Sasori stated.

"I hate karma, un!" the blond shouted, grasping his arm.

"I'm so sorry! Really! Gomen nasai, gomen nasai! I'll heal that right now...I just have to get it out." She reached for the shuriken. "This will probably hurt, gomen nasai."

As she pulled on it, he gave out a yell. She quickly started a healing jutsu, placing her hand above his injured arm.

"Wow, Aina..." Tobi started. "You must have fantastic aim, hitting a target behind you!"

"I am gonna kill you once this is healed!" Deidara shouted back!

Sasori let out a chuckle. "I think you're right, Tobi. Maybe she's even a better ninja than the baka, here."

"I am gonna kill you too, Danna, un!"

"Do you remember what happened last time you tried that?"

Deidara thought back to a couple weeks earlier, when he battled the puppeteer to see who's art was better. "Well, this time, I won't be having Tobi help!"

The red-head gasped. "Wait, Deidara can actually learn from experience! I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Why you little..."

"Hey," a voice called. It was the man from behind the counter. "Is everything ok? I heard some yelling in here."

"We're fine," Sasori answered. "How goes the list?"

"I think we're all set. When is this friend showing up?"

"Hopefully soon...it shouldn't take them that long at the bank..."

Hidan walked down the street, a hefty $500 with him. As he walked, he noticed a church with people all around it. He got closer to see what was happening.

"And may the words of the Lord reach out to you! The day of awakening is coming! If you find no peace with God, then it is you who will suffer!"

"Hold on one bloody moment!" Hidan shouted, shoving his way through the crowd. "God will not be able to help you! It is Jashin who you should follow!"

"What sort of blasphemy is this? How can you believe _that_ god to be the true god."

Hidan grinned at the pastor. "I am a high priest of Jashin-sama! He has given me the most precious gift any of his followers can receive...immortality!"

The crowd gasped, waiting for the pastor's rebuke. "How...how can you say such lies in front of the house of God himself?"

"They are not lies! Jashin has blessed me! He has done so as to help me spread his great word to all who will listen!"

"This is madness..."

"This is Jashin..." Hidan grinned.

"What proof have you that you are immortal? No man can be so."

"Really? Then will you yourself smite me to test my faith in my god, Jashin?"

"I am no killer!" The pastor stepped back.

"Then you will have to have faith! Isn't that what you silly people do? Place faith in a god who's never shown his face? Never blessed any of you, or your silly pastors? Well, I am proof of Jashin!" He raised his arms in the air.

"We will never follow a false god!" a man from the crowd yelled, before running up to Hidan, stabbing him right in the heart with a kunai.

Hidan stumbled back, leaning against the church. "You are surely a fool...Jashin would probably love you as a sacrifice." He pulled the kunai out of his chest, causing the crowd to gasp, stepping back further.

The Jashin-priest raised the kunai above his head, before letting it fall to the ground. "And now you have seen! I speak the truth! Jashin-sama is the only god you need! Follow him, and you will be saved!"

"He...he's a monster!" the man shouted, running into the church.

"God help us!" More people screamed, escaping the crowd.

"Run to your pathetic god!" Hidan cried out for all to hear. "Jashin will not spare any of you!"

"I know not what god you follow, but his ways are satanic! We will never bow to such a man!"

"Do as you will!" Hidan huffed at the pastor. "When your god doesn't come, you'll be begging Jashin-sama for sanctuary!" Hidan started to walk away from the church, people making a large gap for him to walk through. "Long live Jashin-sama!"

"Let's see... We need milk, bread, noodles, fruit..." Emi spoke the list out loud.

"Basically, a lot of food," Konan finished for her, making Emi's list cut short.

The girl chuckled a bit. "Yeah. You're right."

Konan nodded and looked around, spotting all the stores they would need to go to to buy the said items on the list. She wondered when one of the two money-messengers would come to their aid...

"Goodness, this list is so long!" the younger girl gaped at the list that just now doubled in length, the back of the paper unfolding itself. "So much food for such a big family! Though, I guess it's only inevitable."

The origami angel blinked her grey eyes. "What?"

"Huh?"

"What was that last thing you said?"

"I said... 'I guess it's only inevitable?'"

"No, before that."

"'So much food for such a big family?'"

She nodded, pausing a bit. "You think of the Akatsuki as a family?"

"Well," Emi blinked thoughtfully, "I suppose so..." She paused, still thinking, and suddenly answered, as if she already knew the question Konan was about to ask. "I mean, everyone may not be related by blood or marriage, and we may all have our quirks and quarrels, but, we somehow all get along. Plus, being lonely is the worst feeling in the world. So, I guess from our losses, we somehow find new gains..."

The lavender-haired girl blinked and looked at the older kunoichi, who just stared at her. "Ah, er, gomen! I-I'm rambling... I must not make any sense...!"

As the purple-eyed kunoichi fretted over her ramble, Konan just watched her for a moment, until... "Heh... Heh heh... Heh heh heh heh, so that's what you're thinking?" Konan said, actually chuckling, actually _smiling_-slightly. Then it slowly faded. "Don't worry about it. It makes a lot of sense. You seem to be true to your feelings, and that's what shows."

"So... Does that mean you see the Akatsuki as family too?"

The Akatsuki member paused again. She suddenly found the ground more interesting. "Well... I did... at one point in time..."

"'At one point...?'" Emi's eyes blinked naively as they suddenly heard a crowd cry out in fear, anger, and horror. "Ah, wh-what's going on?" she asked as she turned to the source of the sound.

Turning her head, Konan caught sight of a familiar Jashinist making his way through the crowd, chest bloodied with the most sadistically smug look on his face.

She sighed. "That baka... making a scene like this..."

The two watched as the priest marched around, puffed up with pride in the "greatness" of his almighty Jashin... and very well possibly just puffed up with pride in the "greatness" of himself. Eventually, the freak-of-nature noticed the two fellow members.

"Ah! Konan! Emi!" Hidan grinned proudly. "I brought the moolah!"

"And apparently some angry people," Konan replied.

"What?" Hidan's face questioned her. "It's their faults! They're the ones who were being insolent! Not believing in Jashin-sama..."

"That's your own fault," implied Konan. "You were the one forcing your religion on them."

"That darn pastor was doing the same thing! Well, I think faith shouldn't be forced on people," Hidan remarked. "That is, if it's contradictory to the faith of Jashin-sama."

"You yourself are being contradictory."

"Hidan's sort of right though," Emi said in a small voice. "Faith shouldn't be forced on people. I mean, it's sad to see people not have faith in the right faith, but it's also not right to force them to see it. We have to respect other's beliefs. If they want to take interest in another faith, that's their own choice."

The priest stared at her incredulously. "Such a lot of knowledge for such a stupid little girl..."

"Hidan!" Konan snapped.

"S-stupid...?" Emi repeated, taken aback. "...I'm stupid? He said stupid..."

Konan seemed to have a 'sweat drop' moment as she watched the small girl go off in her own dark, little potato corner. Then she snapped her head over to the Jashinist with a neutral face, and yet, there was a vicious death glare in her slate-grey eyes. This caused Hidan to flinch back slightly.

"Whoa, whoa, what's with the glare?" Hidan asked, trying to avoid the look of death in her eyes. "What did I say?"

The glowering woman just stood there. Silently. So silent, it caused the silver-haired man to have a shiver run down his spine.

"I get it! I get it!" Hidan cried after a painfully, seemingly long stare-down. "I'll apologize!" Konan nodded, her scowl still visible as she stepped to the side to let the priest give the girl his apologies. Hidan stepped over and bent down to meet with the girl at eye level.

"Hey... Uh... Emi, I..." he stuttered, then glanced up at Konan, only to meet with her glare once again. He quickly looked back at Emi, figuring Konan wasn't the best person to be looking at at the moment. "I... I'm... s... so... sooooooo... rr... sssOOOOOOrrrrr... Ugh, I can't do it!" Hidan shouted, more-so to himself. This was only to have him end up receiving a nice stomp on the foot from Konan's heel. "Gy-AHHIII'M SORRY!"

"Hm," Konan nodded, lifting her heel off his foot. He started to rub his toes, each one in equal pain, as she had not only stomped on them, but ground her heal into each and every one of his toes.

"A-are you really...?" Emi asked quietly, trying to blink back the tears she was hiding with her hair.

He looked up. "H-hey, don't cry! Jeez! And yes, I mean it! Really!" She stayed silent, Hidan waiting for her to answer. "Come on, cheer up already! Do you forgive me or what?"

After a few more minutes, Emi wiped her eyes and nodded slightly. "O-ok..."

"Ok? Ok, what? What are you ok-ing?"

"I forgive you," she said, looking up with a slight smile.

He sighed, letting his head hang. "'Bout time..."

_Whack!_

"OUCH!" he cried as he held his head in pain. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"

Konan held the bag of money and looked inside after she had smacked him with it, causing his head to slam into the ground, and finally, causing a finely detailed facial imprint of Hidan's baffled face. "For being an idiot," she answered simply.

"I don't know who does it worse," he complained, spitting dirt out of his mouth, "you, or 'Kuzu?"

"The milk should be over this way," she said, completely changing the topic, and walked over with Emi to their first destination.

"HEY! Don't just ignore what I say and leave me!" Hidan yelled and got up to run after them, limping slightly from the pain in his toes. "Konan...!"

Sasori thanked the weapon's specialist as they left the store. Deidara's arm was wrapped up, thanks to Aina's accuracy. Kakuzu was thankful they didn't request any compensation for the light fixture. As to where Tobi went...well, let's just say Deidara was the only one who knew. The four ninjas wandered around Amegakure, looking for their other comrades.

Passing a church, Kakuzu only needed a quick glance to tell Hidan and been this way. "Chaos, panic, and disorder...Hidan's done his job."

"Looks like it, un." Deidara chuckled inside. He always found it fun to watch Hidan rant about Jashin, though he was completely against it's teachings.

"Well, let's keep moving. It'd be bad if Hidan caused too much trouble." Sasori picked up his pace, Kakuzu following suit.

"You think Hidan killed anyone...?" Aina asked.

"Naw," Deidara waved his hand. "Hidan's an idiot, but he does know not to kill in public."

"How long did it take to teach him that?"

"Hm...I think it took five months with 18 decapitations, un."

"Wow, that's all?" The green-haired girl look surprised.

The blond chuckled. "We were surprised too, un."

After some walking, they managed to find Konan, Emi, and Hidan.

"How much do you have left?" Kakuzu asked Konan.

"We have $143. You?"

"$176, which would give us $319."

"That would be enough for some new clothing, right?"

"I suppose..." Kakuzu looked to the ground, attempting to not be angered.

"About time, un!" the blond smiled. "Most of my shirts have holes in them!"

"That'd be your own fault most of the time, baka," Sasori stated.

"Anyways," Konan started, not wanting to listen to the artist bicker. "We should get going. It's already mid-afternoon."

"I'm heading back to the base." Kakuzu started for the hideout.

"Bye, 'Kuzu!" the priest shouted to his partner.

"I'm going to kill you when I get the chance, you stupid, idiotic..." the miser's voice trailed off as he got further from them.

Emi looked around. "Where's Tobi?"

Deidara chuckled a couple times. "Well, you see..."

"Deidara's the only one who knows. He took him behind the weapon's shop and that's all we know." Aina spoke up, knowing the blond would avoid it.

"Is he going to come back?" Konan asked, a tint of worry in her voice.

"He's worse than a plague...he'll be back, un."

"Well, then let's get going!" The silver-haired man started down the street.

"Would be nice to see you in a shirt again..." Sasori thought to himself.

"Sorry, promised 'Kuzu I'd quit wearing them."

"Well, my day just got worse," the red-head let his arms flail in emphasis.

Emi looked to him, a small smile on her face. "It isn't that bad. Hidan would just ruin them after one wear, anyways."

The puppeteer smiled back. "You'd end up fixing them, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah..."

"I wonder if they'll have purple tank-tops," Aina thought out loud.

"I dunno...why purple, un?"

"I like purple."

"That makes sense, I suppose."

"Oh, or I could get teal one...!"

Small chatter continued until they reached a clothing store. Entering the store, it was massive, filled with all sorts of clothing. Aina and Deidara quickly ran to check on shirts and tank tops, while the others moved more slowly to nothing in particular.

"Oh, a teal one!" the green-haired girl shouted, holding it up against herself.

"Looks like it would match my ring..." the blond held his right hand up against it. Sure enough, the colors were identical.

"Gonna look for more black ones?"

"Probably, un,"

Emi looked around, seeing so many things. Her eyes were drawn to a pink object to her right. Turning her head, it was a kimono made out of pink silk with cherry blossoms printed on it. It was beautiful, but she knew she couldn't have it. What would she wear it for, anyways?

"It'd look nice on you." She let out a small gasp, looking to her shoulder to see Sasori looking at the kimono. "Maybe you should try it on."

"Sa-Sasori no Danna! I don't...I don't have the money," she looked down, dejected.

"Seems you're in luck today," Sasori reached into his cloak, pulling out a coin bag. "Somebody wants to spoil you."

"Danna! You-you don't have to!" Her face flushed a deep red.

The red-head smiled. It was a rare smile, more genuine than he usually gave. Emi could feel her heart pound against her rib cage. "Think you could tickle my humor?"

She let her blue-purple eyes look into his brown ones. "I would be honored, Sasori no Danna."

Hidan and Konan watched the scene unfold in front of them. "You'd think they were the leads in a soap opera, wouldn't you?" Hidan mused.

"I think the Akatsuki in whole would be a good soap. Maybe we could make some money out of it for Kakuzu." Konan let her mind wander.

"He'd complain about it costing too much to set it up."

"Probably."

"So, I guess you and I will just have to be the audience for this one."

"You are such a creeper. I was gonna leave them some space..." The blue-haired woman began to walk down one of the rows of clothing.

"Meh, wouldn't be too entertaining anyways...not enough people dying."

Deidara and Aina were on the other side of the store, searching through a rack of pants.

"Aina," Deidara asked for her attention.

"Yeah?"

"How come you don't dress like a girl, un?"

The medical ninja looked baffled. "What do you mean?"

"You never wear dresses. Look at Emi, un. She's got a nice kimono over there."

"Pfft! I don't need a kimono. Pants are much more comfortable."

Deidara laughed. "Have you always been like that, un?"

The girl thought on it a moment. "Most of my life, yes. I guess my logic is if I can't be a good ninja in it, I shouldn't wear it."

"Hm," the blond continued to look through the pants, pulling out a navy blue pair. "These should fit you," he handed them to her.

"Thanks." There was a few moments silence as they continued searching. "I wonder if they have a blue one?"

"What do you mean, un?"

"A blue kimono. I suppose I could tolerate one..."

Deidara continued sifting though the articles of clothing. "You'd look nice in one."

"You'd think I'd look nice in rags."

"'Tis true, un," he smirked to her.

She returned his smirk. "But you don't like me like that."

"Nope, not at all, un."

"Just thought I'd make sure."

After some more time passed, they all met back at the center of the store. Aina and Deidara held a small pile of clothing each, Konan holding a simple looking jacket, and Emi with her pink kimono.

"Well, Hidan and I can wait here, why don't you guys get going. I'm sure Pein-sama would like us home at a decent time." Sasori found a small bench to sit on.

"I'll go first, since I have just the one item." Konan quickly made her way into one of the two changing rooms.

Aina looked at her stuff, then looked back at the others. "Well, I'll take the other room, since I have a ton of things. Might as well get started!" She skipped into the room, leaving the others to wait.

Deidara looked at Emi. "Gonna get that, un?" he asked.

"I'd like to," she blushed, "if it's all right with Sasori no danna."

Said man smiled. "If you like it, I'll get it for you."

Deidara leaned really close to his danna. "I think you're getting soft, un," he whispered into the puppeteer's ear.

"I disagree," he let his fist make contact with Deidara's face, forcing him to stumble back.

"Ok, ok, you're still the 'big-bad-danna,' un!"

Konan stepped out of the changing room. She had already put her cloak back on, holding the article of clothing in her arm. "Well, I'm all set. I think I'm going to take some of this stuff back to the headquarters," she gestured to the pile of boxes that held various weapons and food.

"I can help you out," Hidan said, picking up a few of the boxes.

"I just need to pay for this, then I'll be ready. I take it the four of you can handle yourselves here?" Konan inquired.

"We'll be fine, un!"

"Ok, we'll see you later, then."

After checking out, Konan and Hidan headed for the doors. "You bought Twinkies...didn't you?"

"Shh! Don't let Pein know. It's only two boxes."

Konan smiled, even though it was a small one. "My lips are sealed."

Aina stepped out of the changing room, modeling the teal tank top with one of the pairs of pants. "Well, how do I look?"

Deidara let a hand rest under his chin. "I'd say just about the same, just with a different color top and less ragged looking pants."

The kunoichi pouted. "Thanks, Dei-dei..."

The blond raised his hands in defence. "Sorry, you do look nice though."

"Nice attempt at the recovery. Well, I've got a few more things to try on." She stepped back into the changing room.

"Would you like to go next, Emi, un?" Deidara asked.

"No, it's fine. You can go if you'd like," she smiled to him.

Deidara glanced to Sasori, then back at her. "Sure, I can do that. First though, Sasori?"

His red eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Can you do something for me?"

"What every could you want me to do for you?"

A few more minutes passed after Deidara made his request to his danna. He and Aina were just finishing their out-fit modeling as Sasori and Emi returned to the bench. The two ninja stepped out of the changing rooms simultaneously.

"Sasori," Aina began, "what is that in your arms?"

"Oh, this?" he looked at the blue fabric before walking up to her. "It's for you to try on."

Her brown eyes immediately went to Deidara. "He set this up, didn't he?"

"Who else would you expect?"

"Point well taken." She then looked to the lavender-haired girl. "Well, ready to try that on?"

Emi smiled to her female companion. "Yeah."

The two girls went into the small rooms. Deidara and Sasori situated themselves on the bench. An awkward silence blanketed them.

"So," Sasori began. "When are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her what, un?" Deidara raised a brow.

"That you like her, baka."

"When are _you_ gonna tell _her_?" the blond retorted.

The red-head fought for a come-back. "At least I don't sit there and tell her point-blank I don't like her."

"But Danna, un..."

"You shouldn't lie to her. If Emi were to suddenly work it up to tell me something like that, I'd tell her in a heartbeat how I feel."

"So then why don't you tell her? She obviously likes you and vice versa, un."

Sasori looked down. "I question how good I am for her..."

The blond was confused. "How good you are for her...?"

Deidara was about to question further, but the doors to the dressing rooms opened, and out stepped the two girls, both dressed in kimonos. They looked stunning. Both men found their eyes widening.

Aina grinned to them, realizing the affect they were having on them. "So, what do you think?"

Neither man could manage a response. Their jaws were dropped, feeling like they might hit the floor any second. The green-haired girl grabbed her companion's arm, dragging her closer to the red-head. She spun the girl around, so he could see better.

"Come on! She looks adorable, doesn't she?"

Not really sure how to respond, Sasori hardly managed anything coherent. "I...well, yeah...I mean...she looks...she is..."

"He's speechless," she whispered into the younger's ears. Emi's face turned a deeper red than it'd been all day. Seeing her Danna stumbling like that...he's always been so composed.

"Maybe Deidara has a comment for me," Aina continued to the blond. "Oh, wait, I'll just look like I always do, just with a slight wardrobe change, right?" her face dropped slightly.

"No!" Deidara abruptly stood up. "You...you look...like a girl."

"Wow, that has got to be the greatest compliment you've given me all day."

"I mean it, un!" Deidara flushed as deep a red as Emi. "You look...spectacular."

Aina smiled, feeling her eyes well up just the slightest. "Thanks, Deidara," she smiled to him.

Deidara, in turn, nodded, still completely red. But being the blond he is, he wasn't aware of it.

Sasori and Emi watched the two quietly. Emi couldn't help but smile and chuckle a bit. 'I really hope Deidara realizes it soon...' Then she got the feeling someone was watching her. Her head turned slightly to meet Sasori's brown eyes from the corners of her purple-periwinkle ones. The girl's face went completely red again.

"Ah, s-so, do you like it, Aina?" she asked, trying to shrug off the ticklish feeling in her gut, to mute the pounding in her chest. "The kimono, I mean."

"Hmm," Aina thought a short moment and looked down at the garb she wore. "I suppose it is befitting. And Dei-dei said so too... Plus, it's blue! So... yeah, I quite like it!"

"That's good," Deidara mumbled quietly, "...un."

"Let's get these paid for then," Sasori suggested, getting up. "Everyone's probably waiting."

"But how will I pay for my kimono?" Aina asked. "Unless someone still has some of that leftover money?"

"I think they took it all," Emi said, thinking back on what had happened to the leftovers.

"Come to think of it," Sasori added, "Konan never did give us the money we needed to pay for our clothes..."

All of a sudden, the three ninjas looked over at a certain person. A certain _blond_ person...

Deidara blinked, looking between the three. "Wh-what?" he questioned. "I don't have any of the leftover money, un!"

"That's not what we're expecting," Sasori implied to the bomber.

The young ex-terrorist bomber immediately felt something click in his mind. "Wait, you're saying that I...?"

"Please, Dei-dei?" Aina asked, sugary sweetness in her tone and eyes.

The man blushed. "Uh... S-sure. I think I have enough, un."

"Yay!" she grinned, hugging him. "Arigatou, Deidara!"

"D-douitashimashite, un," he replied, a sudden small smile creeping up onto his face as he lifted his arms to hug her back.

But then, she backed out of her hug. "Let's get these paid for and get home!"

"Ah, er... right... un."

The girls went back in to change into their everyday clothes and afterwards, the men paid for said kimonos and clothes of their own. Finally, they headed out for the Akatsuki headquarters.

"We're home, un!" Deidara exhaled a big sigh of relief, flopping on the closest couch available.

Konan looked up from the paper she was busy reading. "Did you all have fun?"

Aina grinned. "We did. We got new kimonos too!"

"Oh really? May I see?"

While the two girls proceeded to show the eldest of the three girls their new attire, Sasori looked over at Deidara.

"You know," he said thoughtfully, "aside from Tobi being gone, I feel like we're missing something..."

"Hm?" Deidara looked up, now wondering what the missing something was. "You're right. I can't remember what it is though, un..."

Back in Amegakure, Tobi sat on a roof, watching the sky. It was a beautiful full moon, white and glowing in all it's humble glory. One could have sworn he was smiling under his mask as he hugged something cylindrical.

"Aaahhh~ What a beautiful night~" he sighed, lightly kicking his legs as they hung off the edge. "Too bad sempai isn't here! Otherwise I'd be snuggling him right now instead of you, Matto-sempai~"

He giggled as he nuzzled his masked face into the small, rolled up patch of carpet. "Though, I like you too! You're very soft and fuzzy! No wonder Pein-sama wanted you!"

AN: And there you go! Wow, stuff is happening! What will happen next chapter? Will Deidara finally be done sitting in denial? What will happen between Sasori and Emi? Will Hidan get hunted down by the religious people? Will Kakuzu ever feel better about all of that money being gone? Can I ask too many questions? Well, I suppose I actually can't answer any of these questions...

I would like to make mention to a couple things though. First off, we are not supporters of Jashin! Though that part of the chapter was very fun to write, I don't want to start a religious argument here. Jashin is fictional, don't worry, we both know this. Secondly, when Emi went to sit in her 'potato corner,' I'll explain how that make sense. So, potato in Japanese is Emo, so whenever Sakura wants to use the word Emo, she says 'potato' instead. Thirdly, we're pretty sure Tobi is NOT gay in this fan-fiction. He acts as such with the sole intent of making Deidara mad...not because he actually means that. The only true pairings in this story are DeidaraXAina and SasoriXEmi...at least I think...maybe... I suppose if you WANT to see it and squint your eyes, you can make a DeiXTobi happen, or even KakuHidan...thought that's not an intended pairing either...

Well, I suppose the long Author's Note goes very well with the long chapter, huh? I suppose you could have just skipped it, if you wanted, though. If you did read this far, though...I thank you! You're pretty cool to listen to me ramble on and on! Please feel free to comment to us!

~Ninoandjaffar


	8. Bring Out the Swim Suits!

AN: Here's the next chapter to our epic story! Follow our gang as more crazy things happen to them! What's gonna happen today? Well, I guess you'll just have to read to find out! Do feel free to comment to us about how we are doing! We love to hear from you all! ~Nino and Sakura!

Chapter 7: Bring Out The Swim-Suits!

Heat. Heat was definitely a two-faced companion. It could be just right enough, that any person would feel they were in a perfect world, or it could get so hot that you could probably cook ramen on someone's roof.

Today, it was the latter. Heat decided he didn't like anybody today and was now letting them bake in their own flesh. Whomever was wearing black, was sure to feel feverish.

But of course, what better people to suffer this heat wave than the black cloak-wearing members of the Akatsuki?

"Uuuugggghhhh," Hidan and Deidara groaned simultaneously in their seats. Beads of sweat rolled down their faces as they suffered from heat exhaustion.

"I hate this heat... un..." Deidara grumbled, trying to get his hair out of the way as to let his neck get some air.

"You think?" Hidan replied irritably, taking his cloak off. "This is so ridiculous..."

"It's alright," Emi smiled slightly to try to cheer them up. She brought them two glasses of ice-cold water and set it in their hands. "It might be better tomorrow."

The priest took the glass gratefully, the cold sweat rolling down the cup as he lifted it to his lips to drink it. He felt chills as some of the droplets fell to his bare chest. "Easy for you to say," he stopped drinking for a moment to peer up at her. "I mean, look at you, you're wearing a summer dress!"

"Well, you could wear a dress, if you really wanted to..." Aina spoke as she brought in a couple more glasses of iced water.

"Why the heck would I do that?" Hidan's brow furrowed at her incredulously. "That idea is just so wrong on so many levels! And it'd ruin my gorgeous manly image!"

She shrugged. "It'd keep you cool, but whatever."

"I have to agree with Hidan there, Aina... un," Deidara said.

"Besides," Hidan continued, looking at Aina's current attire: her new teal tank top and navy blue capris, "if you say it'd keep you cooler, then how come you're not wearing one? One would think that you're heating up in those pants. Especially with the color, nonetheless."

"Hey, these are capris," she stated matter-of-factly. "And I feel quite fine, thank you."

"Does anyone have a hair tie?" Deidara randomly groaned, still laying on the couch, chin resting on the arm of the furniture.

"I have one," Emi replied. "Let me go get it."

"Arigatoooouuu," he managed before Emi headed to her room.

"You know," Aina put a finger up to her chin thoughtfully, "we should think of something that could cool us off. It's rather warm in here."

"There's not much to do here, though..." Hidan complained.

"Well, then why don't you go somewhere?" Itachi spoke as he entered the room.

"But where would we go?" the green-haired ninja inquired.

Itachi smiled. "Well, it just so happens Kisame and I are heading to the pool in about half an hour. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you guys joined us."

The atmosphere in the room completely changed. Everyone's eyes filled with excitement at the thought of the pool.

"That'd be awesome, un!" Deidara shouted, finding the energy to sit up.

"What would be awesome?" the red-head, Sasori, asked as he entered the room with Emi.

"We're going to the pool with Itachi-san and Kisame-san!" Aina cheered.

"The pool?" Emi asked, handing Deidara the hair-tie.

Deidara started bunching the rest of his hair on the top of his head into a pony tail. "Yeah, Itachi invited us to come with them! It's way too hot here, un!"

"Well, I'm sure you guys will have a good time..." Sasori headed for the door.

"You're not coming with us?" Emi questioned.

Sasori paused. "I don't swim."

"He probably floats," Hidan chuckled to himself.

"Or maybe he sinks, he does have that cable, un," Deidara added to the conversation.

Hidan gave the blond a funny look. "You suck at pony tails..."

"I'm just lazy, un!"

Aina let out a sigh. "Here, I'll help you with that." She started to grab at his hair. "I kinda want to see what Sasori would do in water; sink or float."

"Please come, Sasori no Danna..." Emi looked up at him, her blue-purple eyes sparkling. What was it with those eyes?

The puppeteers head lowered in defeat. "Fine."

A couple cheers sounded as the group felt ready for the pool.

"Ok, Kisame and I are leaving in about twenty minutes or so. Be ready to go by then." Itachi left the room to get ready himself.

"Ha! I'll be ready in two!" Aina shouted back.

"Well, I'll be ready faster, un!"

"Wanna bet?"

"You're on!"

The two teenagers ran out of the room, shortly followed by Hidan. Sasori looked to Emi, shrugging his shoulders before heading off himself. Emi smiled as she made her way to her room.

"I won!"

"No, I won, un!"

"Liar!"

"Un!"

The two bickered to themselves as others began entering the family room. Both made a point of being the first ones in the room, but no one else actually saw what happened. Sasori fought back a headache while Emi laughed to herself.

"All right, let's do this!" The priest shouted as he entered. He wore black swim trunks with a towel over his shoulder.

"Hidan," called a familiarly calm voice. "You're not doing anything. I need to talk to you."

The Jashinist blinked, then gulped, realizing who it was. "Yes, Pein-sama..."

Pein looked over at the rest. "You all go cool off and have fun. This way, Hidan," he said, heading him into another room.

Hidan reluctantly started to follow. "Crap, I really hope it isn't about those two boxes of Twinkies..." he mumbled under his breath and disappeared into the room. The next thing everyone knew, the door had closed.

"...Well," Kisame said after a moment to break the awkward silence, "everyone ready to go then?"

"Tobi is ready!" Tobi cried happily. Everyone cheered after him.

A pause came from Deidara as he hit an epiphany. "Wait, why does Tobi have to go, un?"

"Let's go!" Itachi smiled as he lead everyone out, not even regarding the younger man's question.

"Hey, don't ignore me, un!" he called as he followed the rest.

"WE'RE HERE!" Tobi, Deidara, and Aina shouted at the top of their lungs as they ran towards the pool. They didn't even care for the heat as they ran through the dry stickiness of it and to the entrance.

"Slow down, one of you might trip," Itachi called out as the rest of the group walked to them at their own pace.

"Well, hurry up then, un!" Deidara called back with a grin and headed inside the building to shower. The rest followed suit. Once done, Deidara immediately walked-almost ran to the pool and jumped.

"GEIJUTSU WA BAKUHATSU DA, UN!" he shouted, his body colliding with the water in a big splash.

"Wait for me, Sempai!" Tobi called as he mirrored his movements, only to end up tripping and belly-flopping into his sempai just as he emerged from the water.

Deidara's blue eyes went wide in terror. "GYAH!"

_SPLOOSH!_

"Ouch! That's gotta hurt!" Kisame cringed a bit at the painful thought as he and Itachi walked out.

"I told them not to run," Itachi shook his head as he laid out towels on an empty space of ground.

"They only know how to be stupid," Sasori sighed as he settled himself on a towel and leaned back on his palms.

"Who are you calling stupid, un?" the hot-headed Deidara shouted. "It's Tobi's fault! He's the one who ran, un!"

"Gosh, you people are always bickering!" Aina scowled at them jokingly. "Blah blah this, and blah blah that! When are you guys gonna grow up, hm?"

"We are grown up, un!" Deidara shot back as he glanced over to the girl.

Kisame suddenly burst out in laughter. "You? Grown up? Boy, you're only, what 16?"

"19, un!"

"Only 19?" the shark man continued to laugh. "You're not even _close_ to growing up!"

"Damare, puffer fish, un!"

Aina cocked a skeptical brow over at the laughing man. "You are totally not helping my argument..."

"Ha ha! Gomen!"

She sighed.

"You're no better anyways, Kisame," Sasori added indifferently. "If I remember right, you said you were 29... And you still act childish."

"It's called having fun!" he bit back.

"You have your moments too, Sasori," Itachi implied calmly.

The red-head made a face. "Do not... I don't even know what you're talking about."

"You all bicker like married couples," Emi smiled beside Sasori, causing him to jump back.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?"

"Konoha, but if you mean as of now, then I've been sitting here for a couple minutes," she replied teasingly.

"Smart alec..." Sasori smiled, ruffling the top of her head with his hand.

The small girl smiled to him. She let out a small laugh as she moved to be a little closer to him.

"Well, I'm going in! It's way too hot!" Aina went to sit at the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the water. "Oh, that feels nice~!"

The blond bomber let a smile creep onto his face as he swam over to the green-haired girl. "Maybe you should come in further," he grabbed at her ankles, pulling her in.

"Gah!" she cried before her head went under the water. Deidara grabbed for her waist and lifted her head above the water. "You are mean!" she smiled, splashing him with water.

Deidara laughed. "Come on, you call that a splash?" He pulled at the water, causing a small wave to engulf her. The two began to go back and forth in their water fight.

Tobi, who had been doggy-paddling along the edge of the pool, watched as the battle went underway. "Oh, Sempai! Tobi will help!" He redirected himself towards the two.

As the water battle raged on, Sasori looked to Emi, who was seated comfortably next to him. "You should put some sun-screen on before you burn."

"Oh, you're right! I probably should..." she reached into one of the bags, pulling out the blue bottle. She began to put some on her hands, starting with her face.

Without a word, Sasori reached for the bottle, getting some on his hands, ready to help her. He gently massaged her back, causing a slight gasp. "Sorry, thought I'd help," he smiled to her apologetically.

Emi's face turned bright red. "I-um...Sasori no Danna...ah...arigato."

Watching the puppeteer and medic, Kisame had a realization. He, too, reached into a bag, pulling out a matching bottle, chucking it at Itachi. "You burn worse than anyone I've seen."

"Thanks, Kisame-san."

"I'm not helping you with your back, though."

"Even if I asked very kindly...?"

The fish-man let out a chuckle. "I suppose I could help..."

"Ahhh," Deidara sighed as he floated across the water. "I love swimming on hot days like this.. un..."

"You know," Aina swam over to him with a grin, "I think we should do something epic!"

"Hmm?" Deidara opened a blue eye. "I'm listening, un."

"Well, you know the nostalgic catch phrase of the epically awesome Team Rocket..."

The blond grinned, suddenly catching her drift. "Oh, I _do_ know..."

"You wanna do it?"

"Heck, yes, un."

"Tobi wants in on it too!" Tobi cried.

"NO, UN!"

Emi laughed lightly to herself as the two bickered. "Those two..."

Sasori raised an eyebrow, half smiling. "They're complete buffoons."

"But it's a little entertaining," she mused.

"Meh," he shrugged. "I suppose so. At least it keeps the brat on his toes."

A giggle escaped Emi's lips. "And Deidara keeps you on _your_ toes."

"Don't even start," he sighed.

"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE!"

"MAKE IT DOUBLE, un!"

"TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEVASTATION!"

"TO UNITE ALL PEOPLES WITHIN OUR NATION, un!"

"TO DENOUNCE THE EVILS OF TRUTH AND LOVE!"

"TO WITHSTAND OUR REACH TO THE STARS ABOVE, un!"

"Aina!"

"Deidara, un!"

"TEAM AKATSUKI BLASTS OFF AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!"

"SURRENDER NOW OR PREPARE TO FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, UN!"

"TOBIII, THAT'S RIGHT!"

_SLPOOOSSSHHHH!_

"Huh?" Kisame and Itachi turned just in time to see the three jump. A huge wall of water suddenly raised up from the pool and started to shadow over the four that were on the edge of the pool.

"WAAAHH!"

_SPLASH!_

The trio made it to the surface and started laughing, seeing that the rest of their group had been enveloped by the splash they made after cannon balling into the water. Now everyone was wet!

"THAT WAS AWESOME, UN!" Deidara grinned, laughing like a mad man.

"You little brat!" Deidara turned to find a very red-faced scorpion, glaring at him menacingly. He wondered how in the world the puppet-man didn't dry himself from seeming to heat up from the inside out due to his sudden anger. "Next time, you watch where you jump in!"

"Sasori no Danna! Why such an intimidating face, un?" Deidara smiled sheepishly. "You should be cooled off, not as hot as a tomato eating hot sauce, un!"

"That's it!" Sasori lunged forward at him, Deidara's eyes widening in horror as he made an attempt to swim away, but the puppeteer had already clamped his hands around his neck and dunked him underwater with his weight, he himself also diving into the water.

"Ah! S-Sasori no Danna?" Emi cried out with worry.

"Well, crap," Aina blinked. "Those two are gonna hurt themselves if they don't stop."

"Kisame," Itachi glanced at him. "Do you mind?"

He sighed. "I'll get 'em." The shark-man dived into the water flawlessly and within a few moments, came right back up, each member held by each of his arms. Sasori simply pouted while Deidara fought against the shark-man's iron grip.

"Let me go, un! I can't breath!"

"Now, now," Kisame started, setting the two on the edge of the pool. "I can't have you two killing each other here. It's not good to have blood in the water."

"Ew," Aina cringed a little.

"Can I trust the two of you to save the killing for another day?"

Both men let out a sigh. "Fine."

Kisame smiled. "Good, now go have fun." He got out of the pool, sitting back on his towel.

Deidara and Sasori sat next to each other for a moment, not really sure what to do next. Occasionally, they would look to the other, but no words were exchanged, until Deidara remembered.

"Hey, Danna...?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you float or sink, un?"

Sasori gently pushed off the edge of pool, heading into the water. He slowly began to sink, eventually sitting at the bottom of the pool.

"Sasori sinks?" Deidara and Aina gaped.

"Ha ha," Kisame laughed. "I never thought we'd be asking whether someone floated or not."

Even Itachi couldn't hold back the smile on his face. "Strange things happen with the Akatsuki."

"So true."

It was a good minute that everyone stood there, marveling at the puppet's ability to sit at the bottom so effortlessly. Then, a wave of worry spread across them.

Emi slowly made her way to the edge of the pool, so as to see him better. "Is he ok? Can...can he breath?"

The blond bomber looked thoughtful for a moment. "Meh, he'll be fine, un. He is my Danna, after all."

Movement drew their attention back to the red-head. Out of his back, his twin propeller blades appeared, slowly beginning to rotate. He adjusted himself into a crouching position, before pushing against the floor of the pool. A massive bubble of water rose out of the water before popping, revealing the puppeteer. The force raised him a good five feet or so, enough he was able to land safely at the edge of the pool, just behind Deidara.

"Well, did that answer your question?" He turned around, smirking.

"Un..." the blond hardly managed.

Aina's brown eyes were wide as she looked at him. "That...that was AWESOME!" She smiled a large smile.

"Well, now that that mystery's been solved," Kisame grinned. "How about some beach ball?"

"YEAH!" Aina, Deidara, and Tobi cheered.

"Wouldn't it technically be pool ball?" Itachi pondered.

"Meh, don't elaborate," Kisame replied, turning his attention to the others. "Alright! Let's put up the net and team up!"

"Get it, Aina, un!" Deidara cried as Aina jumped as far as she could in the water to hit the ball.

"I got it!" she shouted back as she just barely hit it. Deidara leaped as far as he could to hit the ball from behind her, only to belly flop as the ball bounced off of him.

"GOAL!" Kisame laughed, Tobi cheering with him.

Deidara came up and spat out some water. "Not fair! You're better at swimming than the rest of us, un!"

"That's not my fault."

"Yes, it is, un! The ball didn't even land in the water! It's over there!" he argued, pointing to the beach ball that had landed a few feet away from Emi and Sasori.

"Hey guys!" Aina called, ignoring the two's dispute. "Does one of you want to throw the ball back to us, please?"

"Sure!" Emi smiled and picked it up. She headed over to the edge of the pool so she could easily throw it back to them. "Here it comes!" Upon throwing the ball up enough, Emi raised her arm, her hand in a fist and swung it forward quite forcefully as the ball came down. Though, despite the fact her hand-eye coordination was decent...

Her aim wasn't.

"Ack!" Emi cried, getting hit in the face by the ball that had hit the metal post of the net. She held her arms out, trying to catch it as it bounced off of her. Unfortunately, it was already heading towards the water... and she leaned too far forward.

_SPLASH!_

"Ohh..." Kisame looked a bit speechless. How this girl could manage to pull something like that off, he had absolutely no idea.

"Emi?" Sasori immediately jumped up, just about ready to jump in.

Emi emerged to the surface, coughing slightly. "Bleh! That water tastes horrible!"

"Are you ok, Emi?" Aina asked in concern. "Belly flops _do _tend to hurt!"

"It does hurt," she coughed again and rubbed her nose. "But I think I'm ok."

"That's good to know," Itachi said. "How about we pack it up for the day and head home?"

"Sounds good," Kisame said, already heading over the the net to take it down. "Deidara, can you help me?"

"Un," he nodded and went to the other side.

Aina pulled herself up out of the pool and headed over to dry off. Emi followed, only to be helped up by none other than Sasori.

"You should be more careful," he said, a sort of concerned pout on his face.

Emi blushed and looked down, realizing how embarrassing her fall was. "G-gomen..."

He smiled and wrapped a towel around her. "Just don't be so reckless."

"I don't want to go home yet," Tobi stated as he floated on his back, still in the pool. "It's still warm!"

"Tobi, get out, un!" Deidara glared."

"But Sempaaaaiiii," he whined.

"Don't make me drown you!"

"Deidara, what have I told you about drowning people?" Aina looked at him, wagging a finger.

He glanced at her a minute. "...You didn't, un."

"That's not the point! You're supposed to go along with it..."

"Fine, I won't drown him...but can we leave him here, un?"

"Yeah!" Tobi shouted.

"No, we have to bring him home," Itachi stated, putting a towel into one of the bags.

"But why~?" Both the blond and the orange-masked man asked.

The raven-haired man sighed. "Pein-sama would be upset with us if we left him here."

"Come on guys!" Aina shouted, heading for the exit. "We want to get home before dark!"

It was just starting to get dark as the group had reached the headquarters. They made it to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by something unusual...

"Oh, hey guys!" Hidan said with a grin. "Did you all have fun? Even though it was without me..."

"Uh... Hidan..." Deidara spoke, with a very perplexed look plastered on his face. "What... what are you wearing... un...?"

Hidan blinked. "Oh, you mean this?" he looked down and pulled at a bright pink summer dress with frills along the bottom and shoulders. "I thought I'd try it on!"

"...W-why...?" Kisame was next to question him.

"Well, I kinda thought about what you guys said about dresses... Turns out, these are very nice! They give a nice breeze where you need it!" he grinned.

"Agh! Hidan! Too much information, un!" Deidara cried, blocking his eyes with his hands.

"Ew...no kidding!" Aina shouted, storming off to her room.

Emi simply stood, a look of horror on her face. Sasori glanced down to her, realizing the situation. He quickly stepped in front of her, to block Hidan from her view.

"Hidan, you WILL put something appropriate on...NOW!" the red-head growled.

"But, it goes past my fingertips..."

"Don't even start with that! It's never ok for a man to wear such attire. Go change NOW!"

The Jashinist let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll go change...and I was feeling so pretty too..." the last part he half-whispered.

"Sometimes, Hidan concerns me," Kisame stated.

"When is he not a concern?" questioned the sharingan user as he slowly made his way inside.

"Good question..."

Left at the door were Sasori and Emi. After a moment, the red-head looked back at her. She still held the same face. "Emi...?"

"I'm scarred for life..." was all she could manage.

AN: And there you go! Chapter 7 (Since we have a chapter 2.5!) is now complete! Yay awkward situations! I dunno why, but beaches/pools make for some of the best awkward scenes...though I'm sure Sakura and I could top that! Maybe...it's questionable...possible...meh, we'll find out soon enough! Anyways! Thanks so much for reading this! Expect more from us soon! And Sakura says "Hi" since I'm usually the one doing ANs considering it is my account...

~Ninoandjaffar


	9. Aina's Love Catchers

AN: Ok, so I didn't really think 'Expect the next chapter soon' would mean within only a few hours, but that's fine! I guess Sakura and I were just way to exited for this chapter! May the craziness begin!

Chapter 8: Aina's Love Catcher!

"You fold it like this," Konan explained as she folded a piece of perfectly square paper, then proceeded to fold the corners. Aina watched carefully and copied every fold the blue-haired woman made. There were a few mistakes along the way, but she was sure that she would succeed in making this origami art.

Konan finished folding. "And that's how you do it," she looked up from her piece of origami to look at Aina's finished work. "Very well done."

"Really?" Aina grinned with glee. "Tee hee! I'm glad! Now I know how to make a love catcher!"

Grey eyes looked over the bobbed-haired girl and smiled faintly. "That you do. Make sure you remember and practice, and you'll soon enough be able to make it easily."

"Will do!" she said with great enthusiasm, saluting her senior. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Konan-san!"

"Douitashimashite."

With that, Aina jumped up and left the room. "I'm off to get a marker!"

Sasori was once again messing around and tinkering with his puppets. He was wondering what he should do with one of his projects when he heard a knock on the door. Wondering if it was Emi, he got up and answered, opening said door.

"Em... Aina?" he raised a brow.

"Hey, Sasori!" Aina chimed. "Got a minute?"

"What do you want?"

"I want you to play something for me!"

"...Play?"

"Yes."

"Play what?" he asked as she took the love catcher out from behind her back.

"This!" she said with a note in her voice.

Sasori studied it for a moment. "...What is it?"

"A fortune-teller," she smiled. "It gives you names to things, places, people, love..."

"I don't believe in fortune-telling."

"Ah, come on, it's just for fun!" the kunoichi insisted.

He sighed. "Fine, fine. How do you play?"

"You pick a color from here, I spell the color out, you pick a number, I count the number out, you pick another number, I count it out again, all with this" she explained, showing him the love catcher better, " and then you pick a number from here one more time, and that would give you your answer!"

"Alright, then I pick... red."

"R-E-D! Ok, pick a number!" She shoved the paper closer to his face.

"Um, four?"

Aina switched the paper craft back and forth. "One-two-three-four! Another number!"

"Three,"

"One-two-three."

"Then I pick one last number?"

"Yup! And it will tell you your fortune!" she smiled eagerly to him.

"Ok, I guess seven will do."

"Seven it is!" She carefully opened the flap, studying the words. "'She may be shy, but the girl you will be in love with will be a kind soul.' Huh, kinda sounds like Emi!"

The puppeteer blushed a deep shade of red, much like his hair. "You-you think so?"

The green-haired ninja's smile grew. "Yup! Maybe she is your special one! Well, thanks for playing with me! I'm off to bug Deidara now!"

"Um, ok..." He was left speechless. 'Maybe fortune-telling isn't so bad...'

"Oh, Deidara!" Aina shouted, pounding on the bomber's door.

"Gah, I'm coming, un!" the blond shouted back as he opened the door. "What's all the ruckus about, un?"

The younger girl held the love-catcher up to him. "I wanna play a game!"

"Huh..." the blond looked perplexed. "I've seen those before. Never knew what they were, but the girls back in Iwagakure used to play with them, un."

"Well, it's a fortune-telling device. Wanna see how it works?"

"Sure, un. Just tell me what to do."

Aina quickly explained to him how it worked, then held it out for him.

"Let's start with...blue, un."

"Ok, B-L-U-E."

"Three."

"One-two-three."

"Five."

"I see you like odd numbers," she smiled to him, counting it out.

"I'm just an odd person, un."

The green-haired girl giggled. "Ok, one more number."

"Two."

"Oh, an even number!" she exclaimed, opening it up.

"I like to keep people on their toes, too, un," he smiled to her.

"Let me see here," she started. "'The girl of your dreams is a bit energetic, but seems to compliment your personality.' Well, good luck finding an energizer-bunny!"

"Wha...what does that mean?"

"The girl you like has a ton of energy, maybe even a bit too much!"

"Really...?" he asked questioningly.

"Yup!"

"Hm, kinda sounds like some one I know, un..." he smirked to her.

"Guess you'll just have to find out, won't you? Well, I'm off to see Konan. I want to show her how good I've gotten at making these!"

As she ran down the hallways, Deidara slowly made his way back into his room. "Yup, definitely an energizer-bunny, un."

"Konan!" Aina called out as she knocked on Konan's bedroom door again.

Konan answered her call. "Yes?"

"For the love catcher," she said, "do you want to play?"

"Hm.. I supposed I could," she replied calmly.

"Yay! Pick a color!"

"Blue."

"B-L-U-E. Number?"

"Eight."

"One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight. Another number?"

"Five."

"One-two-three-four-five. One more time!" she smiled.

"One."

Aina picked out the number and unfolded the corner. "'He may be silent, but he's your type! He's a good leader and will always want you by his side!' Heh heh, I wonder who that could be...?"

"I wonder," Konan replied, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Aina giggled. "Thanks for playing! I'm off to find Itachi-san!" she sang as she skipped off.

Konan slowly closed her door, still blushing lightly.

"Itaaaachi~!"

The raven-haired man looked up from his book as Aina came skipping up to him. "Did you need something, Aina?"

"Yup! I want you to play a game with me!"

"Hm? What kind?"

"A fortune-telling one!"

Itachi chuckled. "I guess I could spare a few moments."

"Ok! Pick a color!"

"Hmm... Red."

"R-E-D. Now a number!"

"Three."

"One-two-three. Another number?"

"Six."

"One-two-three-four-five-six. One more number!"

"Nine."

"'You will fall in love with someone with a broken soul, but her heart is generous and loving deep inside.' Ooo! She sounds like a wonderful girl!" Aina chirped.

Red appeared on Itachi's face. "Is that so...?"

"Yup! I'm going to go find Hidan now! Later!" The kunoichi ran off, leaving the sharingan user to be quite thoughtful of his result.

"What sort of non-sense is this?" The priest asked, looking at the origami piece.

"It's a fortune-teller, just like I said."

"What does it tell me?"

"Well, it'll tell you about places, things, love..."

"What is love?" Hidan started to sing. "Baby don't hurt me...don't hurt me, no more!"

The green-haired girl laughed. "Maybe this will tell you what love is!"

"That'd be interesting...ok, how do I start this thing?"

"Pick a color." She moved it closer to him.

"Hm...let's start with yellow!"

"Y-E-L-L-O-W. Number!"

"Six."

She counted out to six.

"Three."

"One-two-three. One last number."

"Four."

"Let's see what's behind corner number four! Hm... 'Though greedy at times, and argumentative, they will be your most trusting ally.'"

Hidan thought on this for a moment. Aina grinned, slowly walking away.

"WAIT ONE BLOODY MINUTE, YOU SNEAKY GIRL!" He shouted to her, realizing what she had said. "That thing lies like no other!"

"It never lies, silly!" Aina shouted back. "I gotta find Emi, talk to you later!"

"Oh, yes, we will be talking later! Mark my words!"

"Hey, Emi!" the green-haired ninja greeted, standing at the other female's bedroom door.

"Oh, hey there, Aina. Is that a cootie catcher you have there?"

"It is! I was hoping you'd play with me, too."

The violet ninja smiled. "Sure, I haven't seen one in such a long time."

"Remember how to play?"

"Sure, let's start with white."

Aina spelled out the color.

"Three."

"One-two-three."

"Two."

"One-two."

"Two."

The older kunoichi's brown eyes scanned the paper as she read the message. "''"He is a mystery to most, but to you, his secrets will be known.

"Hm..." Emi thought deeply. Who could this person be, who would only share secrets with her?

"So...have you talked to Sasori no Danna yet today?" Aina questioned eagerly.

"Um, no...not yet today. Why?"

"Oh, just curious!" she smiled. "Well, I'll see you later!"

As she quickly left the room, Emi gently waved to her. "Bye, Aina..."

The young medical ninja pondered the other's question, before finally connecting the dots. "Oh, my goodness..." she gasped. "She means Sasori was who my fortune was talking about..." Her face flushed furiously as she sank to sit on her bed.

Back in her room, Aina continued working on a new fortune-teller. Without warning, her door swung open, Deidara peering his head into the room.

"Hey, Aina, Pein-sama wants..." He paused, looking at her bed, covered in fortune-tellers. His brows furrowed. "You've been making them specifically for people, haven't you, un?"

The girl's eyes widened. She'd been figured out. "Heh heh...well, Deidara..."

"I can't believe you'd be so sneaky about it!" After a quick moment, his angered face melted into a smile. "That's pretty clever, un."

"You think so?" she asked, puzzled by his change in tone.

"Yeah," he sat next to her on the bed. "Who are you targeting next?"

The green-haired girl chuckled. "Kakuzu..."

"Can I help, un?"

The two teens sat there for a while, coming up with Kakuzu's future. What sorts of things were in his future...were now left in the hands of the mischievous teens.

AN: And there you go! Something I feel deserves to be mentioned is the girl Itachi's spoke of. Sakura and I have a good friend Jamiee who is very fond of Itachi, so she is the girl described there. We luvz u, Jamiee! Well, I think it's time to have a dance party with Hidan...WHAT IS LOVE? BABY DON'T HURT ME! DON'T HURT ME! NO MORE!


	10. Festival of Truths

AN: Holy longest chapter yet, Batman! Oh, boy, did we ever make this one long. There was just soo much to fit into it! I guess this document has roughly 9,088 words in it! Yikes! But, Sakura and I promise you something spectacular for this one, too! We've dreamed of this since we started writing this story, but wanted to save this idea for something epic! I think we managed that! So, I'll try to not make this AN too long so you can get started all ready! Go!

Chapter 9: Festival of Truths

"HANABI MATSURI! HANABI MATSURI!" a certain green-haired kunoichi yelled, running through the halls of the Akatsuki home. She continued to shout this, arousing the members around her to wonder what in the world had gone wrong in her head _this_ time...

"Aina, what in the world are you yelling about no-OOF!" Deidara suddenly found himself being tackled by Aina in a split second as he crashed to the ground backwards. "Owww!"

Aina giggled. "Gomen nasai, Deidara-kun! But tonight is Hanabi Matsuri!"

"I-Is that what you're spouting on about?" he asked, sitting up to rub his back. "Why is something so trivial suddenly so important, un?"

"TRIVIAL? It is SUCH a big deal!" she replied with great enthusiasm. "Hanabi means _fireworks_ and _fireworks_ means KATSU!"

"It does no..." the bomber paused. "Did you say 'katsu?'"

"Yes, I did! You would like the fireworks, Deidara!" she grinned knowingly. "Because fireworks are the type of art that is an explosion!"

He thought a short moment, suddenly hitting an epiphany. "They _are_, aren't they, un!"

"Yes! They are!"

"LET'S GO SEE HANABI MATSURI, UN!"

"YAAAAAY!"

"What's all the yelling about?" Sasori asked, his head peering from around the door to his room.

"We're gonna see Hanabi Matsuri tonight, un!" Deidara grinned with excitement. "Do you wanna come, Danna, un?"

"I don't know..."

"Hanabi Matsuri?" Emi asked, coming out from her room as well. "I haven't gone to a matsuri since I came here! May I go too?"

"Sure!" Aina replied. "Though, Sasori doesn't think he'll go..."

Emi blinked and turned her purple eyes to his brown ones. "Danna's not going...?"

"Ah, I... I'm going...!" he blushed.

"Oh! Yay!" Emi's face lit up with a smile. Sasori couldn't help but smile softly.

Aina's smile grew, linking arms with Emi and Deidara. "Well! Now that you guys are coming, we should see if anyone else wants to go too! Let's go!"

"Un!"

"Ok!"

And off they went, skipping down the hall with childish anticipation, Sasori following close to Emi, until she linked her arm with his.

She smiled up to him, her purple-blue eyes shining. "I'm very happy you're coming, Sasori no Danna."

Sasori eased to the feeling of linking arms, a smile appearing on his face as well. "I'm happy too."

The foursome made their way to the living room, where Hidan and Kakuzu sat, watching some television show about an orange-clad ninja.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!" the character on the screen shouted.

"Jashin, that line gets annoying after a while!" the priest complained.

Kakuzu looked over at his partner. "For once, I agree with you."

"Hidan, Kakuzu!" Deidara and Aina shouted, skipping in with Emi and Sasori.

"Are you guys going to see the Wizard of Oz or something?" Hidan questioned, noticing their arms linked together.

"No, silly!" Aina stated. "We're going to Hanabi Matsuri tonight!"

"Are you gonna come with us, un?" the blond asked.

"Can we go, 'Kuzu?"

"No," the miser simply stated.

"No? But why?"

"Money."

"That's all you ever think about!" the Jashinist shouted. "Can't we get to do something fun for once? I never get to go anywhere exiting!"

"That's because you always stir up trouble by getting into an argument about religion, Hidan!" the green-eyed man shouted back. "Look what happened last time we took you out!"

"Then I'll keep my mouth shut this time! You can even sew my lips shut if I start something up!"

Kakuzu lowered his voice. "Can I just sew them up now?"

"NO!" Hidan's voice raised even more. "I'd like to be able to talk still!"

"BOTH OF YOU!" the shout was almost unrecognised, as Emi's face turned bright red from the embarrassment. "This is a special festival that only happens once a year. I'm sure you can spare the money for it, Kakuzu."

Everyone in the room was speechless. Emi never once in the few years she's been there yelled at all. Her voice was always so quiet; if you weren't careful you'd miss that she said anything at all. Even Sasori wasn't sure what to think about her display.

"Emi's right!" Aina shouted, snapping everyone out of their trance-like states. "Tonight is a special night! I think if Hidan wants to go, he should be able to, just like everyone else! But, I think you should be careful about your topic choices, Hidan. I will give Kakuzu the right to sew your mouth shut if you start a fight, ok?"

The Jashinist blinked a couple times. "Yes, ma'am."

"Kakuzu?" Aina questioned.

"Fine, we'll accompany you to the festival tonight..." he sighed, his forehead resting in his hands.

"Wonderful! Let's go see Tobi!" Aina shouted.

"Yeah, un!" Deidara agreed.

The four skipped out, though Sasori was skeptical to continue with the group. He was still baffled by Emi's outburst.

Hidan and Kakuzu concentrated back on the show. "Kage bushin no jutsu!" the orange ninja shouted, making clones of himself on the screen.

"How is it he can get away with only that and that Rasengan? And that orange suit... How does he stay hidden?" the silver haired man questioned.

Kakuzu shook his head. "I don't know..."

"TOBI!" the two louder ninja called out to the orange-masked man.

"Aina! Sempai!" Tobi turned and opened his arms to hug them. Aina went ahead and commenced to join in on his hug, but Deidara stopped short before he could touch the man.

"Tobi! Hanabi Matsuri is tonight!" Aina claimed, not bothering to beat around the bush. "Would you like to come with us?"

"Tobi would love to go!" his voice made him seem to grin.

Deidara blinked. "Wait, why does he have to go, un?"

"He doesn't have to go, he gets to go!" she grinned.

Emi giggled. "It wouldn't be fun without Tobi!"

"It wouldn't be a _headache_ without him, un."

"Oh, just be nice," Sasori replied, having decided to stick with the group after all. Though, this didn't change the fact that he was still recovering from his baffled composure internally.

Deidara sighed in defeat, pouting. "Fine... un..."

"I can't wait to go to Hanabi Matsuri!" Tobi chirped. "It's been so long!"

"For you and I, both, Tobi!" Emi smiled.

"Hee hee! Who else are we bringing along?" he asked.

"I'm hoping everyone," Aina replied. "But if not, then at least most of us!"

Emi glanced over at her friend. "How about we invite Itachi-san and Kisame-san then?"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" the brown-eyed kunoichi grabbed their arms again and headed off to find the two shinobi.

"I'll see you all later!" Tobi waved.

Itachi and Kisame were in the middle of making lunch when the four ninja entered the room.

"Oh," Itachi blinked, glancing over to the group. "Hello, what are you four up to?"

"We wanted to ask if you and Kisame would like to join us tonight!" Emi said with a bright smile.

"Tonight?" Kisame asked. "What's tonight?"

"Hanabi Matsuri!" Aina chimed. "Would you two like to go? Huh? Huuuuuh?"

The two companions chuckled. "Sure, why not?" Kisame grinned.

"Sounds like fun," the raven-haired man smiled.

The three cheered. "YAY! WAIT FOR US, HANABI MATSURI!" The group ran out to find some other matsuri-goers in the organization, leaving Itachi and Kisame sitting there as they chuckled in amusement.

A little while later, Aina had soon gotten a good chunk of the organization to agree to come along, much to her bottle of joy. A grin appeared on her face as she imagined the different types of activities they could all do that night. It was all so exciting!

"So you're wearing your kimono then?" Emi asked as the brown-eyed girl held out her blue kimono.

"Yup! It's a festival, silly! Of course this calls for my kimono!" she chirped, gazing at the butterfly and flower patterned attire. Aina looked up at her friend. "You should wear yours too!"

"Ah, you think so?" Emi blinked, blushing lightly at the thought of wearing her kimono.

"Of course! Go get it and we can help each other put them on!"

"Alright!" the purple-haired girl smiled, skipping out of the room to retrieve her kimono.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Aina cheered to herself as she began changing.

Itachi and Kisame found their way to the living room once they were ready for the matsuri. Sitting on the sofas were Hidan, Kakuzu, Diedara, and Sasori. All four were staring at the television screen as an orange ninja started yelling.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!"

Hidan's face twisted in confusion. "Didn't he say that line earlier?"

"Doesn't he always say that line?" Kakuzu retorted.

The blond let out a huff. "He always adds that annoying 'believe it' to the end of every sentence, doesn't he, un?"

"Really?" the red-head looked to his partner, perplexed. "And I suppose you don't do something similar too?"

"I don't have some annoying catch-phrase like 'believe it!' I mean, I could be saying 'yeah' all the time, un!"

"I think that might actually be worse than 'un.'" The puppeteer thought to himself. 'Art is an explosion, yeah!' he could hear the bomber shouting in his head.

"Hey, guys!" Aina shouted, entering the living room. She was shortly followed by Emi, both girls wearing their new kimonos. Deidara and Sasori both felt their eyes widen at the sight of the two young girls.

"Wow, do you both ever look nice!" Hidan smiled to them.

"Arigato, Hidan!" the green-haired girl smiled. "I also appreciate the fact that you know how to compliment a girl." She gave Deidara a look.

The blond looked shocked. "Hey!"

"Well, are we ready to go, then?" Kisame asked.

"I suppose so," Emi started. "Though I am curious as to where you all got your outfits from."

Sasori's eye twitched. "I blame Itachi...I don't know why, but I do."

"Hey," Itachi looked at him, face innocent and all, "it's not _my_ fault I have such great taste in traditional clothing."

"Since when do you have the money to accumulate such a... _collection_, anyways, un?" Deidara's brow rose.

Itachi suddenly glanced to the side, as if he were about to say something to some imaginary person. "Oh, when you're me, you _know_ how to get what you want..."

The others suddenly felt they shouldn't ask any more.

"Aaaanyways..." Aina suddenly decided to break the shell of the awkward turtle, "I think we should get going so we can get to the matsuri when it starts!"

"Good idea," Kisame smiled. "Let's move on out!"

"Yay!" Hidan and Tobi cheered.

Sasori glanced at the purple-haired girl. "Are you excited?"

The girl turned to him and smiled brightly. "Very!"

"Come on, you love birds," Aina grinned, pushing on their backs to get them to move out the door. "We're going to HANABI MATSURI!"

The entrance to the festival was already crowded with people when the group got there. Darkness was already starting to wrap the sky, allowing the red, yellow, and other multi-colored paper lanterns to glow with the soft, brimming light burning inside them. Booths were set up along the sides all the way down the dirt trail, streamers were tangled among the lines that held said lanterns over the mass of people, masks hung and prizes sat, waited to be bought or won.

"Wow!" Hidan, Deidara, Aina, and Emi's mouths seemed to gape in awe.

"It's so pretty!" Tobi exclaimed.

Itachi chuckled. "Well, should we all stick together or go off in our desired places and have fun?"

"See ya, un!" Deidara grinned as he unconsciously grabbed Aina's wrist and ran off.

"Sempai, wait for me!" Tobi called, running after the two.

"I guess we're going separate ways then..."

"Well if that's the case," Hidan smiled with anticipation, "then I'm off too! Come, 'Kuzu!"

"I'm not your lap dog," the zombie-man mumbled with a snarl, already hating the idea of being here as he followed Hidan. He wasn't about to let that Jashinist freak waste precious money.

"Well, I'm off to go find something interesting then!" Kisame stated. "Would you like to come, Itachi?"

He shrugged in reply. "Why not?"

The two left behind watched as the shark and the weasel, along with everyone else, left to do what they deemed interesting to them. Emi let her eyes wander the scenery around her, only to find herself peering over at the familiar red-head in traditional garb. She subconsciously took a moment to study Sasori's yukata. It was a fine, deep red. The color you would find in a sunset when the very top of the sun almost hits the horizon. There was also, she noticed through the lack of light, splashes of faint yellow-gold along the patterns of what must have been maple leaves under the deep blue obi. Overall, it was quite refined for a summer yukata, but seemed to fit her puppet master all the same.

"I guess we're the only ones left," he suddenly stated, startling Emi into a small flinch. He turned to face her. "Gomen, did I scare you?"

"Ah! N-no, Sasori no Danna," she sheepishly replied. "Just zoned out a bit. Gomen."

The scorpion smiled softly. "Shall we go then?"

"Un," Emi nodded and followed him.

"'Un?'" he questioned. "Oh, come now, Emi, don't start that. We don't need another Deidara..."

"Eh? Gomen!"

Itachi followed his companion as the shark man made his way though the crowds. He had a good guess as to where his companion was going, and when the sign with a gold fish painted on it came into view, he knew his guess had been correct.

There was something about fish Kisame loved. He always kept a couple as pets, but then he also enjoyed them for dinner too. Itachi wasn't sure exactly how this worked, but none-the-less the blue-skinned male always made a point of going to the goldfish scooping booth any time they ran across a festival. Kisame's favorite saying was: 'Fish are friends, not food...most of the time!'

Kisame made his way to the booth, picking up a poi. Within seconds of putting it in the water, he managed two goldfish at once. Everyone around marveled at his talent.

The man running the booth quickly grabbed a bag for his fish, gently closing it for him. The shark man handed his poi to a little girl sitting next to him, calmly getting up to show Itachi his fish.

"I think I'll name them Yin and Yang!" he smiled to the sharingan user.

Itachi smiled, knowing he would name EVERY fish he ever received. "I think those are fine names for them."

A little ways away, Aina looked around, seeing the different booths available. A small sign reading 'Dango' caught her attention.

"Deidara, Deidara!" she shouted to him. Once she had his attention, she pointed to the booth.

"Oh, sempai!" Tobi shouted. "Over there...there's a dango shop over there!"

"I see it, Tobi," Deidara attempted to not get irritated at his mask-wearing companion. "Let's meet up with her, un!"

The two men met up with Aina, who was looking over the counter, watching the young man prepare the dango. He looked up from his work, feeling her eyes on him, and smiled to her. Of course, a certain blond didn't miss this at all...

"How can I help you?" the young man smiled to her.

Aina blushed slightly. "Well, I was hoping for some mitarashi dango."

"I think that can be arranged for you. And for your companions?"

The blond was surprised. The guy actually noticed she wasn't alone? "I'll have the same, un."

"Sempai always knows best! Tobi will have that as well!"

"Coming right up!" the young man exclaimed. As he began working, the green-haired girl watched in awe at his skill. He was quick and efficient. "So, I don't recall seeing your beautiful face here before, are you new?"

Aina's face deepened in color at his comment. "Ah, yes, it's been a while since I've been to a matsuri."

"Well, I'm glad you are able to be here tonight! I hear the fireworks are going to be spectacular this year."

"Hm! That's what we're here for!" she lit up.

"Well, you actually can get a very nice view from here. Maybe you'd like to watch them from here tonight?" his eyes narrowed slightly, his smile still on his face.

While Tobi had run off, seeing a mask of his liking, both Deidara and Aina both felt what the man really meant. It didn't take them long to start to turn a bit red; both for different reasons.

"Ah, well, I..." Aina trailed off, not really knowing how to react. It wasn't every day a stranger suggested _that_ sort of thing. Especially when you live in a secret hide-out! "Will Deidara-kun be able to sit with me too?"

"Deidara_-kun_?" the boy's eyebrow arched as he turned and studied the blond. "You mean that girl's a _dude_?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GIRL?" Deidara shot up out of his seat, hands slamming onto the counter. "I AM VERY MUCH A MAN, UN!"

"For real?" the guy shook his head. "Man, and to think I almost thought you looked good."

"Ugh!"

"Anyways, now that I know that she's a he," his eyes turned back to Aina once more, "and the fact that I don't go for blonds anyways; may I ask your name, Cutie?"

The green-headed girl looked quite disgusted. '..._Cutie_?'

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING 'CUTIE?'" the blond shouted, jumping onto the counter to get in between the two and pointing an accusing finger at him. "She is NOT a cutie, un!"

"Nice, Deidara..." Aina mumbled. "_Real_ nice..."

"She's beautiful! _BEAUTIFUL_!"

Aina found herself taken aback. "Wh-what?"

"She's a _VERY_ beautiful, attractive young woman! 'Cutie' doesn't even _cover_ how beautiful she is, un!"

"How would you even know?" the young man snapped back. "It's not like she's _with_ you or anything!"

"She _is_ with me, un! She's _MINE_!"

"Says who?"

"Yeah, since when was I yours?" Aina questioned, now a little suspicious. She wondered if he was really...

"SINCE I JUST SO HAPPEN TO LOVE YOU, UN!" the blond shouted, his face completely red.

Suddenly, everything seemed to go completely silent. It took him a moment to realize that not only was Aina and the dango-maker staring, but the matsuri-goers were already staring as well. Deidara then resorted to jumping off the counter and grabbing Aina's hand.

"Let's go, Aina. We're not gonna hang around this chump, un," he muttered, his side bangs hanging in his face. Aina just couldn't stop staring at him as she let him drag her to wherever he was heading off to. She was just too baffled to comprehend anything at the moment.

"He... Hey, wait!" the dango-boy yelled back, making the attempt to get over his state of shock as he made his way around the booth. "Get back here!"

"Run," Deidara said urgently, barely above a whisper.

"Wha...?"

"Run!" he said again, grabbing the girl around her waist and dashing off into the crowd with her.

The thudding of the kunai against the target was all that could be heard. The crowd went silent as Akasuna no Sasori stood at the shooting range, sending kunai to the other side. Well, in all honesty, he was standing a good ten feet behind the throwing line, but everyone was in too much awe to care. As the last kunai hit the target, the crowd began to applaud and cheer for him.

"That was wonderful, Sasori no Danna!" his favorite admirer, Emi, smiled, saying just loud enough for the red-head to hear.

"Would you like to try next, Emi?" he asked her.

The violet-haired girl blushed. "Uh, S-sasori! I...um...don't know th-that it's such a good idea..."

"Dont' worry," he smiled to her, extending a hand. "I'll help you."

"Oh, ok." She smiled taking his hand. They went to retrieve the kunai, then set themselves up at the line. Sasori handed the man running the booth the necessary money, then stood next to Emi.

"Ok, let me see how you can do on your own."

"Um... alright, here-here it goes."

The kunai flew out of her hand, hitting the metal pole holding the booth up, then reversed direction, hitting the red-head. The purple-blue eyed girl watched in horror as Sasori looked to his arm. The crowd gasped, standing back.

"What?" the scorpion looked around, seeing all the troubled faces. "It's not a real arm, I'm fine." He pulled the kunai out, then proceeded to show the crowd that his arm was made of wood.

As sighs of relief filled the air, he went to stand behind his companion. "Ok, let's work on your form a little. Though I won't deny, that pole was a smaller target than that actual target...I'm impressed you hit it dead on."

Emi chuckled, face bright red. "G-gomen!"

"No worries, now..." he grabbed at her wrist gently, "let's try this out." He guided her arm across the path he wanted it to go. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll make two practice throws, then on the third, let go."

"Yeah."

On the third 'throw,' Emi let the kunai go. Sure enough, it landed on the target, just off center. A smile grew on Emi's face as the crowd applauded the two.

"Now, let's see if you can do it on your own." Sasori grinned, stepping back.

"Um, ok..." The purple-haired girl grew worried. But, her Danna wanted to see if she could learn, so she would try anyway.

She held her hand up, with the kunai, and practiced the throw like Sasori had done with her. On the third practice throw, she took a deep breath. Then, she let go.

The soft thud let her know she hit the target. Her eyes blinked a couple times as she realized she hit the target, right in the middle!

"There you go, Emi," her Danna smiled.

She smiled back. "I did it, Sasori! I did it!"

"Wow! Tobi thinks Emi did fantastic!" the orange masked ninja shouted, seeming to come from no-where in particular.

Both Emi and Sasori let out a gasp. "Tobi?"

"Heh heh...Tobi was abandoned by Deidara and Aina. You see, we went to the dango shop to get dango, and the guy behind the counter was talking to Aina, then Deidara-sempai got really angry and started to yell at the guy! Tobi had gone off to look at masks, but Deidara can get so loud, you know? So anyways, he yelled something about love and stormed off with Aina..."

"WHAT?" both shouted in unison again.

"You mean," Sasori started. "Did Deidara tell Aina he loves her, finally?"

"Well, Tobi isn't sure. You see, I think he said so indirectly. It was kinda a strange situation, I thinks."

"Wow," Emi finally managed. "I-I thought Deidara would never say anything..."

"Didn't we all..." the red-head mused. "This is just awesome. Deidara's gonna be so mad the next few weeks as everyone finds out."

"Tee hee," Tobi giggled, a hand over what would be his mouth. "Tobi will personally make sure Sempai gets mad!"

"I don't think that's a smart idea..." Emi smiled with a slight uneasiness.

"Tobi will be fine!" he insisted. "If anything, Sempai will just blow me up anyways!"

Sasori smiled. "Meh, whatever floats your skirt up, Tobi."

"Eh? Tobi doesn't wear skirts," Emi blinked, utter confusion in her tone.

A chuckle escaped the puppeteer. "Just a figure of speech I'm using to pick on him."

The masked man laughed. "Oh, good one! I'll have to use that on Sempai!"

"Worst idea ever, but be my guest."

"Oh, right!" Tobi exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "Tobi wants to know if you two will help me get a mask!"

"A mask?" Emi questioned. "Sure, where are they?"

"Over there!" Tobi pointed a finger over to a stand. Sure enough, there was a rack full of different masks hanging behind the vendor as he continued to take a piece of merchandise and sold it to a civilian.

"Oh! Ok, let's go then!" she smiled and started to walk in the said direction.

"Yay! Come, Sasori-san!" Tobi chimed and ran past the two to get to the booth.

Sasori followed, getting close enough to reach Emi and grabbed onto her hand through the crowd. "We should be careful. There's a lot of people here and I don't want to get separated."

Emi blushed, just slightly surprised. "Oh... Ok...!"

The two made their way through the dense crowd and finally made it to the booth where Tobi stood waiting. The two suddenly realized that the booth was a vendor. There was no game to be played.

"Deidara must have Tobi's money," Sasori pondered aloud.

"Eheh, that's right!" Tobi said sheepishly. "Will you buy a mask for Tobi? Please?"

Sasori sighed. "I guess we could..."

"Yay! I want that one!" he pointed to a particular mask. It was white and the design itself sported black rings starting from a black dot in the middle and continuing. The second black ring had a comma-design-similar to that seen on the legitimate sharingan eyes-on the top, and another where his right eye would be, followed by a regular hole for his left eye.

Sasori went up to the merchant and asked about the mask and its price. After stating it, he handed the man the necessary amount and was then given the mask. He walked back over to the two and handed Tobi the face-mold.

"Here."

"Oh! Arigatou gozaimasu, Sasori!" Tobi sang and suddenly brought the red-head into a bear glomp of a hug.

"Ah!"

"Oh, gomen!" the man let go and took the mask from the puppeteers hands. "I really do appreciate it though!"

"Right..."

"Well, I'm off to find Sempai now!" Tobi stated and skipped off into the mass of people happily.

Emi giggled. "He is so interesting."

"He's something else," Sasori muttered. "Well, now that that has been taken care of, would you like to do something else?"

"Sure! I'd like to!" she smiled. "Is there anything you have in mind?"

"Not yet," he said. "Though, I wanted to see if you had anything that caught your eye."

"Hmm..." Emi thought and looked around. The lake they were near had caught her eye and when she glanced over at it; she saw a man with a small line of people waiting. Her purple eyes followed the trail of people to some humble, traditional-looking boats. "Oh!" her face lit up.

"Find something?"

"Let's go for a boat ride!" Emi turned to Sasori, her purple eyes sparkling with blue stars.

Sasori could help but smile. "Sounds like fun."

Kakuzu and Hidan wandered around the mass crowd. Hidan's purples eyes were lit with joy as he scanned all there was to see.

"'Kuzu, this is awesome!" the jashinist exclaimed, a massive grin on his face.

"It's just great," the miser huffed, looking at all the ways they could waste their hard-earned money.

The silver haired man pouted, now looking at his partner intently. "We are gonna have a good time here, Kakuzu," he stated simply. Kakuzu took note that for the first time in a while, Hidan used his full name. "You aren't allowed to be a grumpy old man here!"

"Hmf," was all the green eyed man could manage.

"Oh!" Hidan's attention went to one of the booths. The sign had flowers painted on it. "Here's a game you'll like! If you win, you get double your money!"

Kakuzu's eyes lit up in an instant. "Double, you say?"

Hidan grinned, knowing he won his partner over. "Yeah, double. So if both of us play..."

"We're going." Kakuzu grabbed the Jashinist by the wrist and dragged him quite forcefully towards the booth.

Within a moment, both Hidan and Kakuzu had a sugar plate in front of them and a needle in hand. The goal of the game was to cut out the flower pattern in the plate using the needle, but without damaging the flower print.

The silver-haired man grinned as he began his work. The miser, on the other hand, studied his partner's actions.

"Aren't you gonna start?" his purple eyes looked up.

"I like to wait and learn from your stupidity."

Hidan pouted. "Well, aren't you kind!" He stuck his tongue out quickly before continuing his work.

Kakuzu's patience got the best of him, and before Hidan epically failed, he began work on his own sugar plate. Both men sat in silence, focused intently on the task before them.

"Hidan?" the miser questioned, breaking the long silence.

"Yeah?"

"Don't, you know, little girls usually play this game?"

The Jashinist let out a booming laugh. "You can be anyone and play this game. The flowers do draw the attention of girls, but hey, money drew you!"

"Hm...the things I'll do for money..."

"Wear a pink sundress?"

"No."

"What if it was a different color, like..."

"No."

"Ok..." there was a slight pause. "Have you ever considered a miniskirt?"

"Never in my life...would I be caught in that."

"For a million ryo?"

"...Questionable."

"Ugh!" came a voice from beside them. A female voice. The zombie brothers turned their attention to a woman, sitting behind her daughter and covering said girl's ears. "That is just disgusting!" she cried to the two, slapping Kakuzu in the face. "You're both sick!"

With that, she took her daughter in her arms and walked off, not even bothering to let her daughter finish cutting her sugar flower.

A short moment passed, and dumbfounded Kakuzu heard a sudden burst of laughter. He turned and glared at his companion.

"Dude! You got slapped by a lady!" Hidan stated, cracking up a laughing storm. "Priceless, man! Priceless!"

"You... BAKA!" Kakuzu growled and gave Hidan a good punch in the face. If anyone was feeling as bashful and embarrassed as a love-sick little girl, it was probably Kakuzu.

Hidan flew flat onto his back, groaning a bit as he sat up. "Ouch... That freakin' hurt!"

"It's supposed to, you little brat!"

Gasps came from all around them as the man realized that they were now drawing more attention to themselves... Ah, great job the old man did right there.

The two immediately took a breath and regained their composure. Hidan gave apologies to all of the little girls and their mothers, using what questionable amount of charm he had to persuade the said ladies to overlook their behavior, and went back to his plate.

Kakuzu tried to focus on the fact that right now, the most important thing was his flower...

Running. Gasping for breath. Aina found herself starting to stumble a bit over her feet, trying to keep up with the fast-paced Deidara. She felt slight relief that his arm was around her. It helped a lot with trying to stay in pace with him.

"Deidara," she gasped, feet feeling heavy with every step, "can we slow.. down just a bit?"

"Get back here!" the odango employee yelled to the couple, still chasing after them.

"Not yet," the blond ninja answered, running as fast as he could with the kunoichi by his side. Up ahead, he found a few bushes, dense enough to hide the two, and realized it'd be good for Aina to catch her breath. "Just a bit farther!"

"O-ok!"

The two could still hear the boy yelling behind them, fluctuating between gaining and losing distance. When they got close enough, Deidara tightened his grip on her and jumped with as much speed as he could to make it seem like they disappeared into thin air. Much to Deidara's anticipation, it looked just as he intended his jump to look like to the other young man.

The employee gave a short gasp and stopped a moment, unluckily enough, right next to the bushes the two ninja hid behind. "Where did they go...?" he wondered out loud to no one in particular.

The blond sat behind said bushes silently, waiting for the boy to go away, until he heard something quiet, but heavy...

Breathing...

He blinked in confusion and turned to his companion, discovering that she was the culprit.

'Aina...!' he yelled at her mentally and brought her over to him, clasping a hand over her mouth.

"Mmm?"

"Shhh!" he whispered in a raspy voice right in her ear. "Be quiet, un."

"Where are you?" the opposing man growled, looking around for the couple. He wasn't about to give up, Deidara realized. Oh, how he wanted to use some of his detonation clay...

But this jack was a civilian. And Aina probably wouldn't appreciate his reckless decision either.

So, there they sat, waiting for the boy to run off. After a few minutes, to their relief, the young man _did_ eventually return to the festival as they had hoped he would. It helped with the fact that it was getting dark.

Aina started murmuring behind Deidara's palm, trying to get him to let go.

"Oh, gomen, Aina, un," he said as his hand released her.

"Jeez... I figured with how good-looking you are, you'd be a good kisser," she commented, "but I never thought you'd go so far as to kiss me with your _hand_!"

"What...?" Deidara questioned when the realization suddenly hit him.

He _kissed_ her with his _hand_...?

"GAH! Are you for real, un?" he gave himself a good face-palm smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Aina couldn't help but giggle, soon turning into a laugh.

"Damare, un!"

"But it's just so funny!" she laughed. "Your face was so _priceless_!"

"But...!" He trailed off into thought, 'It's _true_!'

After a good long moment, Aina soon got herself to calm down from her fit of laughter and giggles. She smiled at the blond, endearingly, he noticed, after calming down himself. A blush was left on his face from the embarrassment.

"So it's true then?" she asked, completely referring to what he said earlier.

"Hmm? You mean..."

"That you love me?"

Deidara could feel the burn emitting from his face become hotter. There was no turning back now, he realized. What he said wasn't just something he was saying. It was completely true... And he failed to accept that reality until now. "U-un..." he mumbled quietly.

"Could you say it to me again?" she asked softly. She, too, could feel a light burn kissing her cheeks.

He sat there a moment, trying to comprehend. "Un," he nodded slightly. The smile that came to her face was just undeniably beautiful. He took her hand in his and looked directly into her brown eyes. "I... I love you, Aina," he said with a sudden confidence. "I know I was a bit forceful back there, but... Will you be mine?"

Aina couldn't help but let out a chuckle and hugged him tightly. "I've been waiting for you to ask such a thing, silly!"

Deidara's face just then went completely red as the force of her sudden hug threw him backwards. Nevertheless, he grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist and chuckled. This was turning into a surprisingly good day for him.

Kakuzu now found himself on his third sugar plate. The first one he had made it pretty far on, but one of the petals got chipped. On the second one, he had managed to get almost the entire flower perfect...until Hidan bumped his shoulder. Needless to say, the miser didn't take kindly to this, even if it was an accident. But this third one, oh! It was sure to be a winner!

"Aha!" Hidan shouted, abruptly standing up. "Check it out, silly peasants! The great Hidan strikes again!"

Confused, Kakuzu looked over at Hidan's plate. Sure enough, the flower was perfectly carved out of the sugar. His green eyes have never lied to him before.

"How in the world did you manage that?" the miser hardly managed to say.

The Jashinist puffed his chest out proudly. "Well, I guess I'm just that awesome is all!"

"Why you egotistical little..." Kakuzu started.

"Well, would you look at that!" the vendor mused. "It seems you did win. Here's your prize." The vendor handed Hidan the money he won, the initial payment and the double of it.

"Arigato gozaimasu!" Hidan grinned cheerfully. "Look at what I won, 'Kuzu!"

Kakuzu could feel his blood pulsing faster. "Hidan..." he growled.

"Hey!" the silver-haired man shouted. "Don't even think about takin' my money! You made me pay with my own ryo, so this is all mine!"

The miser blinked a couple times, realizing his partner actually had some logic. He had never thought the man would be capable of winning, so as to not loose money, he demanded they pay for themselves.

"I can't believe you would DECEIVE me like that!" Kakuzu shouted, drawing every ones attention.

"What deceiving did I do?" Hidan shouted back.

On-goers watched as the two men bickered at each other. When people attempted to intervene, a glare from Kakuzu was enough to send them back. Mothers made a point of standing between the argument and their daughters.

"Since when did you have the mental capacity to do anything, let alone carve out a flower from SUGAR?"

"Guess you never cared enough to ask me what my childhood was like, did ya?"

"Would I even want to know what some sick little..."

"Kakuzu, Hidan!" Kisame shouted, busting into the scene. Shortly behind him, Itachi began assuring the crowed all was going to be taken care of. "Knock it off, both of you!"

Both men looked at the blue shark. Neither knew what to say, and so remained silent.

"Do you have no decency to keep your fighting private? Look at the poor little girls here, all scared and terrified... Do you know how hard it's gonna be for them to trust men again after seeing you two?"

The zombie brothers looked to themselves, then back at Kisame.

"Kisame," Itachi's calm voice joined the conversation. "I doubt this will scar them this much. But you do hold a point that they should not argue in public. We are here to have a good time."

"I had a good time..." Hidan sheepishly admitted.

"That's good," the raven-haired man smiled. "Did you have a good time, Kakuzu?"

The miser blinked a couple times. "Well...um..."

The red eyes looking at him turned sinister. "Did you have a good time, Kakuzu?" he asked again, with much more force behind his words. Even Hidan jumped back in fear.

"Yes, in fact, I had the best time I've had in a very, VERY long time!" he quickly responded.

The smile returned. "Good. Now, the fireworks are going to start soon. Kisame and I found a great place to see them from if you'd like to join us."

Again, the two looked to each other. "Sure," they responded in unison.

Kisame let a smirk grow on his face. "Awesome! If you follow closely, we'll take you there!" He turned to walk away, Itachi at his side.

"I'm scared..." Hidan whispered.

"Me too..." Kakuzu replied.

The zombie brothers made quick work of catching up to the shark man and sharingan user. There was no way they were going to upset them again!

"Be careful when you get on," the man in charge of the boats told Sasori and Emi as they were given permission to get on a boat, after paying him. "The boats can get a little wobbly when you climb in and out of them."

"Thanks," Sasori nodded to him. "We'll be careful."

He and Emi found a good-sized boat for the two of them and he helped her climb in, noticing that the boat was, in fact, quite shaky.

"Arigatou," Emi smiled as she got her footing stabilized enough to be able to find a place to sit.

In turn, he nodded and started to untie the rope before pushing the boat, getting off the small dock and joining her on said wooden water mechanism. He sat himself down on an empty seat across from her, grabbing onto an oar and started paddling.

After a few minutes, they were soon out a ways from shore before the puppeteer decided they were good enough where they were. The whole ride so far was in a companionable silence. At least it wasn't awkward...

"Danna," Emi's small voice said, breaking the silence that was between them, "are you enjoying the festival so far?"

Sasori looked over at the girl and returned her smile. "Very much so. And you are, I hope?"

She nodded. "I am! It's been a while, but it's all so nostalgic!"

"You're right. It _is _nostalgic," he said in agreement. "It's also been a while since I've been to a matsuri."

"You too?" she smiled. "How long?"

"Hmm," he thought, reluctantly, "about... about twenty years or so."

"Wow, that _is_ a long while!" Emi replied densely. It was only a few moments later...

"Wait..." she blinked, hitting the brick wall of realization, "d-did you say twenty years?"

Akasuna no Sasori feebly glanced at her, suddenly wondering if he was going to regret telling her this later. "I did..."

"B-but how?" she wondered, her eyes wide with confusion. "You're only my age, right?"

"Uh... Not exactly..."

"'Not ex...'" she trailed off, completely incomprehensible. "How... how old _are_ you?"

This was the point of the conversation he was a bit afraid of. If he told her his true age, it may or may not mean that their relationship would end before it even started. Maybe even including their friendship.

In reply, he hesitantly mumbled. It was such a low mumble, that even if Emi were to lean in to hear, she wouldn't be able to make anything out.

"Wh-what was that?" she asked, trying to get him to say it louder.

"I'm..." he went off in another insecure mumble.

"What...?"

"I'm..." finally, he looked up at the small girl, his brown eyes staring square into her purple iris'. "I'm... I'm thirty-five years old..."

Not a single word came from the lavender-haired girl. She just stared. Baffled. Confused. Still trying to let his words sink in into something that made sense. Her Danna? He was thirty-five? But he looked so young!

Though... He _was_ in a puppet body... and puppets never did age in the sense of maturing.

'Emi's gonna think I'm a creep...' the thought continued to run through Sasori's head over and over again. 'There's what, nineteen years between us? She's not going to take this well, will she? She's been quiet for so long now. Yup, she thinks I'm a creep. She's probably so afraid of me now...'

"I-I guess..." Emi finally started. Sasori's heart raced at a thousand miles per hour, "it really has been a long time for you." Surprisingly enough, she smiled. "I hope you are having a good time. I'm sure so many memories are coming back."

The red-head was taken aback. 'Wait, she doesn't hate me? She doesn't think I'm a creep? She still cares for me?'

"Yeah," he finally managed himself, "it's quite the experience, seeing all these memories again."

"Were they back in Sunagakure?"

"Yeah, they were," Sasori smiled. "Grandma Chiyo would take me when I was younger."

"Grandma Chiyo?" Emi's head tilted to the side a little.

The puppet let out a gasp. 'Wow, did I just slip up...again?'

"Ah, yeah, I lived with my grandma before I left."

Emi took a moment to think on this new information. Thinking it best to not push him too far, she decided to change topics. "So, when do you think the fireworks will start?"

The red-head raised an eye brow. "Wha...um, I think in just a short bit. Why?"

"I'm exited for them. I hope Deidara and Aina found a good spot to watch them. This will be Deidara's favorite part of today!"

Sasori smiled to her. "Yeah, I'm sure they both found a good spot. As for his favorite part...from what we've heard, there may be something else better than fireworks."

"Sharing the sight with someone you love," the purple-haired girl looked up to the sky, a beautiful smile on her features.

He thought on her words for a moment. What was the point of something beautiful, if there was no one to admire it with? Would fireworks really be all that amazing if no one watched them?

With out thinking, his hands reached out to hers, gently holding on to them. "I guess you're right, sharing something beautiful would be the greatest thing."

His smile was still shaky, still concerned for how she thought of him, but when she smiled back, all his worries seemed to lift away.

"It really is the greatest thing."

"So, is there any other constellations you can make out, un?" Deidara asked, the two laying on the ground, side-by-side. His head rested on one arm while his other lay beside him, his hand entwined with Aina's hand.

"Of course!" she chirped, using her free hand to point up at the sky. "There's the Big Dipper-"

"Ursa Major, you mean, un?"

"I like 'Big Dipper' better," she replied with a grin. "There's Andromeda," she pointed to a zig-zag-like constellation.

"The Chained Maiden, un?" he asked.

"Yup!"

"Why do you think they call it that, un?"

"Well, I suppose it's because if one is chained on the floor, they'd make a zig-zag shape while laying on their side?" the green-haired kunoichi shrugged. "I dunno. Oh, look! There's Ryan's Shoes!"

"What?" the blond blinked in utter puzzlement. "Since when does Ryan have shoes, un?"

Aina suddenly burst out in laughter. "Did I _really_ worry you for a second there?"

Deidara blinked, now feeling like a complete... well, _blond_. "N-no!" This reaction only caused her to laugh again.

"I _did_ worry you!" the girl grinned. "Man, I feel accomplished now!"

"D-damare, un!"

"Oh, I just found Camelopardalis!"

"...Ok, now you've lost me... un..."

"It's a giraffe!"

"Since when does _that_ make sense, un?"

"Did you know that when the gods made the animals, the reason why the giraffe has a long neck is because they accidentally pulled too hard?"

"...You're fibbing, I know it, un."

Aina laughed again. "Augh, you caught me!"

The couple lay on the grass, laughing. What distracted them from constellation watching and laughing was a small explosion in the sky.

"Oh, hanabi, un!" Deidara grinned.

Aina's smile grew as well. "Yeah, here we go!"

Both sat up to watch the fireworks better. The light from the explosions illuminated both the sky and the ground, along with everything on it. The two were in awe of the beauty of the show before them.

"Wow," the sound escaped Aina's lips as she watched, completely mesmerized.

The blond glanced over to her. Her face was lit up from the fireworks, glowing like an angel. He couldn't help but reach his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He adjusted her so she could use him as a back rest.

"Arigatou," she whispered to him.

He gently whispered into her ear. "Douitashimashite."

Aina suddenly found herself blushing-something she didn't really think could happen much at all. Even so, she couldn't help but smile as she snuggled in closer to him. For someone who could be hot-headed, he really _was_ warm. The young Amekagure kunoichi found this source of warmth to be quite comfortable. It wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized she could hear Deidara talking quietly to himself just as each firework exploded into millions of glittering stars.

"Katsu!" he said under his breath with each and every explosion. "Katsu! Katsu! Katsu!"

Chuckling to herself, Aina decided that she would join him.

"Katsu! ...Katsu!..."

"KATSU!"

_BOOM!_ went one of the bigger fire flowers as it combusted into another rain of gold stars.

"Ah," Deidara smiled with a small sigh. "Geijutsu wa bakuhatsu da, un."

Aina grinned as the two watched the trails of glitter rain down over them. "Un."

After the hanabi show was finished, all the Akatsuki members regrouped at the entrance of the matsuri. Everyone, save for Hidan and Kakuzu, seemed to be happy. The zombie brothers, well, let's just say they are still worried for their lives.

"That was a spectacular show, un!" Deidara shouted. He held on to Aina's hand firmly.

"It really was! Today was such a wonderful day!" the green-haired kunoichi agreed as the two walked towards the hide-out together.

"Wow, they really are together..." Sasori thought out loud.

"Wait, what?" Hidan shouted, questioning. "Deidara and Aina are a couple?"

"Ask Tobi, he knows the story."

"Did I miss another memo?"

"There was another memo?" Kakuzu rested his hand under his chin, thoughtfully. "Why is it that you and I are the only ones who miss them?"

"It's ok, Kisame and I know nothing as well," Itachi reassured them.

Kisame let out a huge yawn, stretching his arms out to the sides. "Well, I'm beat! Let's get back so we can get some sleep. Oh, and I need to find a fish bowl for Yin and Yang!"

"Yin and Yang?" everyone asked.

"My fish!" Kisame smiled, holding up the bag. Two little goldfish swam around in it.

"Congratulations, Kisame," Emi smiled to him.

"They are so awesome..."

"Tobi got an awesome mask from Sasori-san!" the masked ninja shouted, wearing his new white mask.

"Good for you, un," Deidara said quite blandly.

"I suppose you can put your fish in a jar, Kisame," Itachi replied in order to answer his partner's question. "Tomorrow, we can look for a fish bowl."

"Sounds good to me!" the shark-man grinned, opening the front door. "Well, I'm off to bed! G'night guys!"

"'Night," everyone chimed as he walked off to his room.

"I think Tobi will go to bed too," Tobi said with a smile in his voice. "Thanks again for the mask, Sasori-san! 'Night Sempaaaaiii~" the man made an attempt to hug the blond shinobi, only to be shoved away.

"Don't make me suffocate you, un!" Deidara growled.

"How many times do I have to tell you to be nice, Dei-Dei?" Aina asked.

Tobi pouted. "I guess Sempai doesn't love me... Well, I'm going to bed. Good night!"

As Tobi skipped off, Kakuzu also slipped out of the room, not bothering to say good night or even talking to anyone about his matsuri experience.

"So... You two are together now?" Hidan asked again, still trying to get a grasp of the little sense of reality he had.

"Yeah," Deidara answered bluntly, though the blush on his face failed to let anyone take him seriously with his slightly threatening tone. "Got a problem with it, un?"

The priest sat there dumbfounded a moment longer. "...Well, it's about time!"

"Damare, baka, un!"

"Oh, just go to bed, you two," Itachi put a hand on either of their shoulders with a smile. "But it _is_ about time you two got together. Good job."

Deidara just rolled his eyes and headed to his room, Aina still in tow, as he didn't let go of her hand.

"'Night, guys!" Aina called back. "By the way, Dei-Dei, you know you're going to have to let go of my hand soon, right?"

Itachi chuckled as Aina commenced to explain to the blond as to why he should let go of her hand so she could go to _her_ room as they continued walking, and thought to himself, while Sasori and Emi headed off to their own rooms: 'Now we just need two _more_ to get together.'

AN: Another chapter down! Wow, did sooo much happen! This, personally, is Sakura and me's favorite chapter so far! We want to know what you guys think so far! Some ideas of stuff to post would be your favorite scene, what you think of our OC's, how well do we portray the Akatsuki...we'd love to hear from all of you! I'd also like to take a second and thank all who have posted comments thus far! We love to read the comments you give us! The support helps us be motivated to continue! Thank you all and look forward to even more excitement soon! (Also, Nino is curious as to how many references to previous chapters people can find! She put a few in there...!) ~Nino and Sakura


	11. Akatsuki no Naku Koro ni!

AN: Wow, only what, 24 hours later and we have the next chapter up? We're doing pretty good! Sorry if they seem sporadic, but we work on this when we can. It's a little hard when Sakura has to work crazy hours, so we end up writing at 2 in the morning, because Nino is a lazy bum who's only taking an English class in college. Oh, well! Here's the 10th chapter for you all! Please fee l free to comment for us! We'd love to hear what we're doing good on and what needs improving!

Chapter 10: Akatsuki no Naku Koro ni!

It was a dark and stormy night... when Hidan decided he _REALLY_ wanted to watch a horror movie.

"Guuuuuys!" he called out with a grin. "Hey guuuuys!"

"What is it now, Hidan?" Konan asked without a single change of tone to her current monotone voice.

"I have something cool for us to do!"

Kakuzu looked up from a small pile of money he had accumulated from a side mission he had done with the silver-haired idiot. "Just tell us what it is so I can get back to counting."

"I have... SCARY MOVIES!" he announced, holding out a good-sized pile of horror films.

"Scary movies?" Aina asked, looking up from the love catcher she was making. "Which ones?"

"The Grudge, The Grudge 2, Dark Water, One Missed Call, The Ring, The Great Yokai War, Kill Devil, Masters of Horror: Imprint..." he started listing, without looking at any of the movies. The gruesome priest obviously knew his horror films well...

"I'm game, un," Deidara smiled.

Aina also let a smile creep onto her face. "I suppose I can take the time to watch some horror films."

"Great! What say you, 'Kuzu?" Hidan turned his purple eyes to the other zombie.

He sighed as he got up, collecting his money. "I'm going to the family room to count, since you apparently won't be leaving any time soon."

"Oh poo," Hidan puckered his lips in disappointment. "Konan?"

"I would like to," she answered genuinely, "but Pein-sama needs me at the moment. Gomen."

"Sasori?" Hidan asked with eagerness in his tone. The puppet master had been sitting there quietly with Emi, reading his "Puppetry for the Not-So-Average Puppeteer" book again.

He looked up from the pages. "Sure, I don't mind watching some," he replied indifferently.

Emi just stayed quiet. That is, until Hidan asked if she wanted to watch them.

"Um... S-sure..." the girl said in a very small voice.

"Great!" Hidan grinned and headed over to pursue the T.V. "We can go from the least scary to the most scary! Dark Water is first!"

Two hours later and the group found themselves looking at the credits. The black screen with white words came as a relief to some.

Sasori gently nudged at the small girl curled up in his lap. "I think it's over, Emi."

Slowly, the lavender-haired girl looked up. "Oh."

"Was it too scary for her?" Hidan asked, noticing the girl curling up into the puppeteer early on.

"Yeah, I think so," the red-head spoke up for her, realizing she wasn't about to say much.

"Pfft! We've only just begun! This can't be _that_ scary! All the others are even scarier!"

"Hidan!" the Jashinist was silenced. Sasori's face was filled with anger towards him. "Not everyone likes horror movies like you do!"

"Whoa, take a chill pill there, puppet boy! I'm just saying..."

"Don't you even say another word!" He abruptly stood up, Emi in his arms. He took a deep breath before speaking again, this time much calmer. "I'm gonna take Emi to her room, then I'll be back."

No one objected as the puppeteer took her out of the room. A small silence took place for a moment.

"You were scared." Aina smirked, poking Deidara's side.

"Was not, un!"

"You were too! I felt your heart-beat!"

"I don't get scared at horror movies! They're fake, un!"

The green-haired girl rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure, you don't get scared...what ever helps you sleep at night."

"I do not, un!"

"Hey, there's no need to hide it," Hidan interjected. "I mean, at least you didn't curl up and hide like Emi did."

"That could be insulting," Aina stated.

Hidan felt a shadow over him, and he slowly looked up to see red hair. "And I interpret it as such."

"Gah, oh, Sasori, my man! Glad to see you back!" A nervous chuckle escaped the Jashinist. "So, we can start the next movie now, right?"

"Yeah, let's get the next one started, un!" the blond excitedly cheered.

"You'll just get scared again, Dei-dei!" Aina mused.

"Will not, un!"

"All right!" Hidan shouted. "Let's get on with this! Next we'll watch The Ring...full volume...in the dark!"

"Yeah!" both Deidara and Aina cheered.

Sasori glared at Hidan as he sat down. There was no way he was forgetting... Later Hidan, later...

Another two hours had passed, this time, louder, and scarier than the first movie. The screaming coming from the movie (and possibly a certain _blond_ terrorist bomber) was so loud, it echoed throughout the room and into the halls, seeping into other various rooms.

"That was great!" Aina exclaimed. "That girl climbing up that well like some deformed spider... That was just creepy!"

"Y-Yeah, it was, un!" Deidara stumbled on his words.

The girl stuck her tongue out at him. "You were scared!"

"Was not, un!"

"You stuttered just a minute ago!"

"Did not, un!"

Hidan grinned in anticipation. "Alright, enough bickering, you silly peasants! Time for The Great Yokai War, followed by The Grudge 1 and 2! And then One Missed Call, and..."

"Ok, we get it," Sasori stated with irritation, still remembering what Hidan said earlier while getting up. "Just put the next movie in. I'm going to check on Emi real quick."

"Ah, come on! I'll bet'cha she didn't hear a thing!" Hidan grinned smugly.

Sasori gave the Jashinist a death glare. "Only you would know, wouldn't you." And with that, he left the room to check on the probably now fear-stricken girl.

When the puppet man left, Hidan got up to put the next movie in. "Heh, either way, there's no way I'm turning down the volume for the_ rest_ of the movies."

Drawing was very hard to do when you were feeling scared, Emi had discovered as she tried to draw pictures of the images that magically took form in her head; especially when your hand was shaking so much. The young girl gave out a shaky sigh and jumped when she heard screaming coming from the movie. Though, she could have sworn she heard Deidara too. After a while though, the screaming finally stopped and she could hear eerie music coming from the room.

'It must be over...' Emi sighed again, still uneasy, but felt some relief. All of a sudden, she heard her door rattle and open.

"Emi?"

"KYAH!" she jumped almost completely off her bed and struggled to get a grip on her blankets. She turned to find her Danna there. "S-S-Sasori no Danna..." she blinked, trying to regain her composure, despite the fact her face obviously gave away the fact she was petrified.

He gave her a soft look of concern. "Are you alright? Did I scare you?"

"N-no," she lied, yet she knew there was no point in it after her display of screaming. "I'm alright..."

The red-headed scorpion seemed a bit skeptical about this. "Are you sure?" he asked, walking over to sit next to her on her bed.

"Y-yeah..."

"I hope the volume out there wasn't too loud for you," he added. "I apologize if it still frightened you."

"Oh, n-no, it's fine," she gave him a weak smile. "I was keeping myself busy..."

The man's eyes caught sight of the sketchbook she held. It had been a while since he's seen any of her work. "Drawing again?"

"A little."

"May I see?"

"Ah, well, I," she blushed a bit, looking down at her sketchbook, "I don't think you'd like it. I probably haven't even progressed much at all, and it'd just be a waste of your time..."

"The things you do are never a waste of time," he opposed, reaching over and grabbing the book from her hands before she could even comprehend what was going on.

"Ah, Danna...!" Emi reached to grab it back, but he was already looking through it.

"Hmm," he hummed as he fingered through the pages, carefully studying every bit of detail, every pose and perspective. He saw that some of the pictures were of his puppets. A smile of appreciation came onto his face as he finished looking through them and handed the sketchbook back to her. "You really have progressed. You're a very good artist."

This praise caused Emi to blush and she suddenly became interested in her blanket. "Ah... Domo arigatou gozaimashita," she said shyly.

"See? This wasn't a waste of time," he smiled softly. "Especially for me. Thank you for giving me the honor to look at your art."

The lavender-haired girl looked up. "Eh... No, thank you!"

Sasori chuckled. "Well, I should probably join everyone again so they don't have to wait to start the next movie." He stood up. "Will you be all right?"

She nodded. "I think so... Arigatou."

Sasori no Danna kept his smile, just for her. "Douitashimashite." With that, he left the room and closed the door behind him. He was happy to see that he made Emi feel better, but he had a feeling that wouldn't last long...

It was now reaching five in the morning. Hidan, Sasori, Deidara and Aina were all piled up on one of the couches, watching the credits of the final movie scroll across the screen. The green-haired kunoichi had some how managed herself in her boyfriend's lap, while the other two sat fairly close together. All four had looks of horror on their faces.

"That," Hidan started, "was AWESOME!" He quickly jumped off the couch, arms raised in the air. Sasori jumped back, startled by the sudden movement.

"That was a lot of fun!" Aina agreed. "It's been so long since I've stayed up this late!"

"Yeah, no kidding, un..." the blond mumbled. "I think I'm gonna head to bed now..."

As Deidara and Aina got up, so did Sasori and Hidan.

"Goodnight, everyone." Aina smiled, leaving the room.

The silver-haired man let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose I should try to get a couple hours of sleep, too. Night, puppet boy."

Sasori's eye twitched at the name. "I hope you have pleasant dreams...they may be your last," the red-head growled.

The Jashinist felt his blood pressure go up. "Heh heh, I'm sure they will be wonderful. Night!" He quickly bolted out of the room.

The puppet stood there for a moment, now all alone. "I suppose I can check on Emi, though I'm sure she's asleep by now. Then, maybe another movie?" One of the great things of being a puppet...no sleep required.

Aina plopped down on her bed, sinking into the sheets. She always enjoyed a good horror movie, but now, she was beat tired. As she was about to drift to sleep, a gentle knocking was at her door.

Puzzled, she got up and opened the door. Before her stood the blond bomber, Deidara.

"Dei, what are you doing here?" she asked groggily.

"Aina," the blond started. He was obviously nervous about what he was going to say. He suddenly took a big breath of air, gaining confidence. "I need you to be too scared to sleep alone and ask me to sleep with you tonight!"

The green-haired girl blinked her brown eyes a couple times. A large blush spread across her face, though it was too dark to see it. "Wait, you want me to do what?"

Deidara let out a huge sigh. "I don't want to sleep alone tonight, so I want you to pretend to be too afraid to sleep alone also and ask me to sleep with you."

"So, basically you are asking me to sleep with you, just in a strange sort of way?"

"Well, I mean...yes, I am, un." His head tilted down towards the floor.

Aina smiled, a chuckle escaping her. "If we sleep in the living room. I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

"Deal!" he quickly grabbed for her arm, dragging her out of her room.

Sasori made his way back to Emi's door and stood there a moment. Wondering if she was still up, he looked towards the floor to see if there was any light. To his surprise, the light was on, which gave him the yellow light, rather than a red or green.

He knocked softly before opening the door. "Emi...?" As he peered in, it wasn't as he expected. The small medical ninja was sleeping on her bed, curled up over her blankets in a tight ball. The puppeteer found himself chuckling as he approached her.

"Good night, Emi," he spoke in a low tone, pulling one of her blankets over her. He stopped short just as he was about to kiss her forehead.

'Ah, did I almost...?' He started to turn red and turned his back on the girl to switch the lights off. 'I really need to watch what I do and say...' The man closed the door gently behind him and walked off to watch another movie.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a quick flash of light from the window. A few moments later, he heard a booming rumble. He turned his attention to it and saw streaks of lightning bolts tearing through the blackness of the sky.

"It's still storming, hm?" he thought out loud as he put in another movie. The red-head took a seat back on the couch and let the movie start.

"D-Danna...?" came a small voice from behind him suddenly, after about a good fifteen minutes of movie-watching.

Sasori recognized the voice in an instant and turned around. "Emi? What are you doing up?" He could see the girl's face from the T.V.'s glow. He noticed a sort of glaze lightly brimming her eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Um..." she stuttered, hugging onto her pillow tightly. "Y-yeah... I just couldn't sleep..."

This caused Sasori to immediately react; he stood up and walked over to the teenager, picking her up to embrace her. It made Emi turn completely red.

"S-Saso...?"

_CRRSSSH!_

A gasp escaped Emi's lips as she flinched and grabbed hold of Sasori tightly. It wasn't like she was afraid of thunder storms, that Sasori knew; but sudden noises would startle her. Especially after being petrified from horror films.

The red-head couldn't help but smile at the girl in his arms. "Don't worry, Emi. It's just the storm."

The small girl could only nod as she let the other carry her to the couch.

"I'm watching The Princess Bride...would you like to stay in here and watch it with me?" he asked her.

A small smile appeared on Emi's face. "Sure, I'd like that."

The two sat in companionable silence as the movie continued, telling the story of a young woman in true love.

A massive yawn escaped Deidara as his eyes opened. From the night before, he was still tired, but the sunlight that crept into the family room had shown itself right on his face. He sat up, or more so attempted to, though a light weight on his arm stopped him.

Laying beside him, still asleep was Aina. She was known for being a pretty heavy sleeper, but she was also blessed to have him blocking the natural light source.

The blond attempted to get up again, this time gently resting Aina next to him. He would let her sleep in a little longer. Once up, he made his way to the kitchen to get cereal.

His attention was taken when he passed the living room. The television was still on, making some soft noise. Deidara entered the room to see Sasori and Emi on the couch, the younger of the two fast asleep. Her head was rested in his lap, using him as a pillow.

A grin crept onto the bomber's face as he entered the room. "Well, good morning there, Danna, un!" he attempted to say quietly.

Sasori glared at the blond, knowing his thoughts. "She was scared last night."

"I know, I just think she looks cute there next to you is all, un."

"Well, don't think anything of it. Just go get your breakfast already."

Deidara raised an eye brow. "Who said I was getting breakfast?"

"I did, so get going," the red-head spoke as he grabbed a pillow, tossing it at the other.

"Ok, ok! I'm going now, un!"

The blond quickly exited the room, leaving the puppeteer and the younger medic alone in the room. A few moments of silence, save for the T.V., went by before another face entered the room.

Uchiha Itachi sat down on the other couch in the room, studying the two. "Good morning, Sasori."

"Morning," the red-head spoke.

"Take it she had a hard time last night?"

"A little...she only watched the first movie, but it was a little much for her."

Itachi nodded his head. "I thought it would be so. I don't know what Hidan had in his head..."

"From what Kakuzu says, nothing," Sasori chuckled.

"Wouldn't surprise me," the raven-haired man smiled back. "He's never been the brightest crayon in the box."

"Not at all...speaking of which, may I have permission to kill him today?"

The sharingan user thought on this for a moment. "Well, I think you would have to ask Pein-sama about that one...he might not like that. We finally found him to partner up with Kakuzu."

"I know, but I think everyone can agree that he's more of a nuisance than anything else."

"He'll be fine, he's just a little more work is all. Well, I'll let you get back to watching T.V." Itachi stood up, heading for the door. "I wouldn't want to wake Emi up, either. You know...she's kinda cute when she's sleeping."

Sasori smiled, not sure how to respond.

Itachi could feel the red-head's thoughts and decided to leave it where it stood. He quietly exited the room, seeking the kitchen.

Upon entering, he found Deidara leaning over a counter, attempting to open one of the boxes of Cheerios.

"Need help, Deidara?" Itachi asked.

Deidara looked up to the raven-haired man, his eyes blood-shot red. "No, I got this, un..." he continued to fight the cardboard.

"Deidara," he sighed, heading over to take the box from the blond. He was able to open it with virtually no effort at all. "I think you need to take a nap today...and not stay up until five in the morning watching horror movies."

"Un, that might be a good idea," he took the box from Itachi, pouring some of it's contents into the bowl.

Itachi found himself a clean mug from the cupboard, then started to make some coffee. Deidara situated himself at the table after getting some milk. As the blond ate, his head would bob forward as he attempted to fight sleep.

"Good morning!" Aina chirped cheerfully as she entered the kitchen. "Wow, Dei, are you ok?"

"I'll be fine, un," he mumbled.

The green-haired girl looked skeptical, but let it go. She gathered herself what she needed to also have a bowl of cereal, sitting at the table along with Itachi, who's coffee was now finished.

The kunoichi began to laugh a little. "When did you fall asleep?"

"I dunno...seven or something...un..."

"Wow, you really were that scared?"

"I was not, un...I was...just...fine..." His head sank for the last time as his face landed in the cold cereal.

Itachi and Aina watched for a moment. A few second went by before a couple bubbles appeared in the milk from his breathing. However, his intake of breath, or lack there-of, caused him to wake up. His head shot up, shocked from the lack of air. He began a massive coughing fit.

"You ok, Deidara?" Aina shouted, shooting up to get to his side, patting his back.

Itachi began to laugh at the sight before him. "I'm sure he's fine. Milk's good for you, anyways."

"Itachi!" the young girl snapped. "He's probably choking...or would you drown in milk...?"

"Either way, he needs some sleep," the raven-haired man stood up, taking his coffee with him as he left the kitchen.

"I wanna go back to bed, un..." Deidara managed as his fit began to stop.

"Yeah, you're going right to bed...now." Aina smiled as she helped him to stand up, escorting him to his room. She was concerned he might pass out in the middle of the hallway.

Echoes of voices rung inside Emi's head as she dreamt. They were soft, seemingly fuzzy; she couldn't make out any of the words the voices spoke. What only seemed like a second later, the voices stopped, and within moments, she felt something touch her head... The feeling was warm and gave her a feeling of security. She turned and saw whom she knew was Sasori, patting her head and smiling. Emi blinked and smiled. This surely was always the best thing, to see him. She was about to say hello, when suddenly, everything became fuzzy; black turned to white...

Her eyes opened halfway to face the coffee table in front of her, the horror films laying on top from the night before. She slowly blinked, trying to comprehend her surroundings.

And there was the feeling on her head again. A consistent, yet slow motion; warm and secure.

The purple-haired girl turned her head over slightly, to see what was going on, only to see her Danna's face staring right back at her.

"Ah," he blinked and smiled, "you're awake. Ohayo."

"Mm," she mumbled a bit, trying to find the words to speak. "Ohayo gozaimasu..."

"Did you sleep well?"

Emi blinked, realizing that this time, she didn't have any nightmares like she did just a few hours before. Suddenly, her eye caught his hand gently tangled in her hair... Was he the one stroking her head? This thought made her face turn a deep crimson. "I-I did..." She could hear him chuckle. She wondered if he noticed how red her face felt to her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Um..." as much as Emi was hungry, for some reason she couldn't bring herself to admit it. Something wanted her to stay as she was for a little longer. "Not at the moment, thank you."

"Ok," he nodded, smiling softly. "When you're ready, you can go."

The girl nodded, curling up with her pillow, still letting her head rest in the Akatsuki member's lap. As sheepish as she felt, she couldn't help but let a smile creep onto her face. Little did she realize that Sasori, too, was smiling.

Emi now found out that maybe horror films weren't so horrific after all...maybe.

AN: How in the world did I let Sakura end this in such a sappy fashion? Well, I suppose sappy moments are necessary in ROMANTIC comedies, aren't they? Well, It's kinda nice to be back in the shorter chapter business! Wow, was last chapter so long! Twice as long as this one, if not more! Not sure what next chapter will be about, but it will be EPIC! Because that's just what Sakura and I do! Look forward to another chapter soon! ~Nino and Sakura!


	12. Shark Week MUHAHA!

AN: So, due to it being shark week this week, we've decided to attempt to do something in honor of such. It more of just turned into a fun day for all, but this was still a ton of fun! Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 11: Shark Week! MUHAHA!

"We're going to the Zoo!" Kisame had stated only an hour or so before. Now, he and some of the Akatsuki found themselves in the line to enter the zoo.

"I like the zoo!" Aina smiled, attempting to start a conversation. "I wanna see the lions!"

"I'd like to see the sharks!" The blue-skinned man grinned. "They are my favorite animal! What's everyone's favorite animals?"

The green-haired kunoichi spoke up first. "I like the lions!"

"Scorpions are mine," Sasori spoke up next.

"Tobi likes the monkeys!"

"I-I always enjoyed rabbits," the purple-haired girl added.

"Hm," the blond bomber thought a moment. "I suppose I like birds, un."

"You should be specific!" Aina shouted to him. "What's your favorite kind of bird?"

"So you don't ask Kisame his favorite kind of shark...or Sasori his favorite kind of scorpion...Emi her favorite kind of bunny, un?"

"Birds are too general! At least with theirs you can get a mental image! What kind of bird am I looking at? A blue bird, red bird, brown bird, big bird, small bird..."

"Ok, I get your point, un!" Deidara let out a sigh. "How about hawks?"

"Hawks are pretty cool." She grinned.

"Hawks eat bunnies..." Emi seemed upset at the thoughts that came to her.

The red-head couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm sure many of the rabbits manage to escape them just fine."

Deidara jumped behind Emi, resting his hands on her shoulders. He leaned very close to her, whispering loudly. "But the unfortunate ones..."

The puppeteer's fist collided with the blond's face before he could manage the rest of his sentence. He stumbled back, stars filling his vision. As it cleared, he recognised the green blob to be his girlfriend, Aina.

"I can't believe you'd say such a thing!" she shouted, punching him in the stomach.

Doubling over, the blond attempted to not cry out in pain. Others waiting to get in the park watched the scene with slight worry.

"Apologize!" the brown eyed girl demanded.

"Gomen," his voice was a whisper.

"LOUDER!"

"Gomen!"

"It's ok, Aina," Emi interjected. "I know-I know he was only kidding around."

The green-haired girl huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "It still doesn't give him the right to be like that, especially to you."

"I like you when you're mad at him," Sasori mused.

"Thanks, Danna...you're quite the help, un." The blond attempted to stand, wobbling to gain balance.

"When you dig your own grave, I can't help you, baka."

"Alright, that's enough," Kisame said, frowning. "This is _my_ day. Not yours!"

"Well, aren't you just special," Deidara murmured sarcastically, earning a glare from the shark-man.

"Do you want to die?" the shark asked in a raspy, deathly voice.

"No, un!" the blond's eyes widened slightly, straightening up.

"Let's just go," Itachi said, his hand on the blond's head and his other on Kisame's back, leading them towards the entrance.

"Hey! Don't touch me, un!" Deidara growled.

Sasori just shook his head and looked at the girls, addressing Aina. "Better calm your boyfriend down."

She replied with a chuckle, "Of course, of course." And proceeded to talk to him as the group entered the zoo.

"So, where do we go first?" Itachi asked, looking at the map of the zoo.

"HAWKS, UN!"

"SHARKS!" The shark and the bomber yelled in unision, only to end up sending glares at each other.

"Hawks!" Deidara insisted.

"Sharks!"

"Hawks, I say, un!"

"Today is _my_ day!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Here we go again..."

"Dei-Dei, I had no idea you could act so childish at a zoo," Aina teased to get his mind off of the hawks for a moment.

"I do not, un!"

The orange-masked Tobi chuckled. "Whatever floats your skirt up, Sempai!"

"...What... did you... say... un?" Deidara asked in a very low, shallow tone. The chilling vibes he sent felt as if a demon inside him had just awoken from its long, torturous slumber.

"I said, 'Whatever floats your skirt up, SempAAAAAIIII!'" Tobi cried out as he was sent flying over a building not too far away.

Deidara stood up straight, cracking his knuckles from the fist he just used to punch the masked man in the gut. "Who's skirt is floating up now, Tobi, un?" he said to no one in particular, despite the fact it was directed to the assaulted ninja... who was no longer there.

The weasel sighed and just continued on to the gate to pay for himself, after the shark-man. Sasori and Emi had also payed-well, Sasori payed for Emi-and followed the other two.

"Deidara," Aina looked at him with a scolding pout, "you know he was just teasing, right?"

"Who cares, un?" Deidara said with a huff. "I'm not a girl."

"You sure PMS like one."

"HEY!"

"Well, since it may be a while before Tobi catches up," she continued, "let's meet up with the others."

The blond pouted a bit to himself, but nonetheless, couldn't say 'no.' He walked up to the paying booth and paid for both he and Aina, not even giving her the chance to take her wallet out. But then again, she also expected him to pay for her anyways.

"So, I suppose we'll go see the sharks first then," Itachi stated, not giving any thought to the ninja that had forcefully fallen behind. The raven-haired man knew Tobi would be back. "Follow-"

"Follow me!" Kisame grinned, interrupting his companion. He proceeded to practically march off in the direction of the sharks, obviously excited. The others just shrugged it off and decided to play along with the 'Follow the Leader' game.

The aquarium part of the zoo was bigger than expected. One would think that it would have just been something separate from the zoo. An actual aquarium park. There seemed to be everything-from angelfish to angler fish, from starfish to jellyfish, sea turtles and penguins to octopi and whales... even sharks.

"Wow!" the two girls gaped in awe at the tunnel that revealed marine life through the glass walls above them. It really was a spectacular scene.

"This is amazing!" Emi grinned. She watched as some fish pass by through one part of the glass wall as she approached it to get a closer look.

"Isn't it?" Kisame replied with anticipation, watching a hammerhead swim by. "I love being able to see sharks here."

"It's quite interesting," Sasori said, feeling a bit of actual interest. "There are so many..."

Aina and Deidara found themselves up against the glass, looking through with wonder. It seemed impossible to know if there was an ending to this aquatic pool; it was like an ocean all by itself. There was fish and other aquatic animals swimming all around, appearing and disappearing from sight in the murky dimness of the man-made salt water ocean.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Itachi asked, smiling softly at the two.

"Un," Deidara muttered. "...But I still like hawks, un!"

The green-haired kunoichi watched as a small shark passed by. Considering a lot of the other sharks were bigger, she figured it was a baby.

"Baby shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, baby shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, baby shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, baby shark," she sang to herself, making a small "baby shark" hand motion with both of her hands.

"Hey, Aina," came Kisame's voice as he approached her. He lifted an arm once he got her attention and pointed at what looked like a brown, blubbery, scaleless animal with whiskers. "You see that? The brown animal with whiskers?"

"Yes, I do," she said after a moment of trying to figure out where he was pointing.

"That's a mammal," he smiled. "They're what you'd call a Japanese Sea Lion."

"Sea Lion?" Aina blinked, suddenly very curious. "You mean it's a lion... in the ocean?"

He chuckled. "Sort of. They're similar to seals and walrus'."

The girl grinned, her brown eyes shining from the reflections of the water. "Awesome...!"

The shark-man almost seemed to beam at her positive attitude and appreciation. With an ear-to-ear smile, he patted her head and went back to looking at his favorite marine animals.

A moment of silence passed, Aina still smiling. She suddenly leaned in close to her boyfriend and whispered. "What's a walrus and a seal?"

Deidara chuckled and shook his head. "We'll find one for you, un."

"Ok!"

"Well, hey there, buddy." Kisame walked up to the glass, standing face-to-face with one of the great white sharks. "How are you?"

There was a moment of silence. "Yeah, I bet that's gotta be hard, being in that tank and all. I would free you, but I'm not sure that I'm able."

Another moment of silence. "I'm glad you do. I'm sure it's gotta be nice not having to fight for your food every day. I mean, they bring it right to you!"

"Kisame," Itachi walked up to him. "What are you doing?" There was a questioning look on the raven-haired man's face.

"Just talking to the sharks."

Itachi raised a brow. "You can talk to them?"

"Yeah, they are pretty cool! I mean, they don't like being confined like this, but they are still friendly," the blue-skinned man smiled.

"What are you talking to him about?"

"His life here at the aquarium. Wanna say anything to him?"

"Uh...sure. Hi there, Shark-san. I hope all is well for you and your friends here," the sharingan user chose to join in on Kisame's craziness, not realizing he could really talk to the sharks.

"My friend here says 'hi and that he hopes you and your friends are well!'"

A moment of silence passed again. "He says things are well with him, his friends, and his family."

"His family?"

"What is your family like?" Kisame questioned the shark. "He says he has a wife and three kids, all sons."

"Wow," Itachi thought on this for a moment. "if you weren't half shark, I would think you were crazy right now."

"Well, I don't get to talk to them very much! Why do you think I like going to the zoo every now and then?"

"Point well taken."

"Whoa, Kisame!" Aina yelled, running to him. "You have a great white shark right next to you!"

The shark man's smile grew. "I know, I was talking to him!"

The green-haired girl's eyes widened. "You...you can talk to sharks?"

"Well, yeah. What would you expect from some one like me?"

"Emi, Emi!" she ran to the other girl.

Emi and Sasori had been looking at some clown fish. The lavender-haired girl looked at her friend. "What is it, Aina?"

"Kisame can talk to the sharks! You have to see this!" she grabbed at the younger's wrist, running back to Kisame. Sasori quickly followed the two, making sure Emi wasn't harmed.

"No, you don't have to worry." Kisame reassured his new friend. "They are just very curious about you. No one ever gets to talk to sharks normally."

"Ask them something else, un." Deidara smiled, having a new fascination for the sea creatures.

"Um, what do you think of us?" Kisame nodded his head as the shark responded. "They think we are very strange. He wonders why we enjoy looking at them so much."

"Hm, I suppose it's because they are so dangerous, we wouldn't get to see them anywhere but here without being in danger."

"See, Emi! He can talk to them!" Aina grinned, bringing said girl to the small crowd of Akatsuki members.

Emi's eyes grew. "That's pretty...amazing. I suppose it makes sense though."

"Of course it does," the green-haired girl exclaimed. "He's a shark dude!"

The two girls looked at each other for a moment, before continuing Aina's song. "Mamma shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, mamma shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, mamma shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, mamma shark!"

"What is that song, un?" the blond asked, looking at them curiously.

"I learned it when I was little," Aina explained. "I can teach it to you!"

"Like he needs to learn something to make him more annoying," Sasori said, having caught up to the group.

"But Danna..." the bomber pouted. "It sounds like fun!"

"It sounds like a song girl-scouts would sing...I'm ok if they sing it, but it concerns me that you want to sing it too."

"It's not just for girls!" defended Aina. "The boys of Amegakure would sing it with us too!"

"Amegakure has some concerning men..."

"Pein-sama's from Amegakure," Emi informed. "He's even the current Kage."

Aina and Deidara grinned. "Oh, snap!" both shouted in unison.

"Fine, he can learn the silly song then..." Sasori lightly face-palmed himself as the two girls smiled with joy.

"Ok, it starts like this..."

"Can we go see the hawks now?" Deidara whined. "We've been in the aquarium for almost two hours now, un!"

"I'd like to see the scorpions too," Sasori added quietly, more to himself than to everyone else.

"But it's _my_ d-"

"Kisame," Itachi cut him off abruptly, "I think it's time to let them have a turn now."

"But-"

"Share."

Kisame puckered his fishy lips into a pout. "Fine..."

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, HAWKS, UN~!" The blond shinobi cheered, his fists raised over his head in much rejoicing as he ran out of the aquarium.

"Wait for me!" Aina called after him, following.

Itachi followed behind, Kisame reluctant to join them. Emi smiled to the scorpion.

"Coming?"

The red-head smiled back and nodded. "Yeah. But if we stare at hawks for longer than fifteen minutes, I'm going straight to the scorpions."

The purple-blue-eyed girl giggled. "Whatever floats your skirt up, Sasori no Danna."

"He-hey!" Sasori started to laugh a bit. "Who do you think you are?"

"A smart alec?"

He laughed, ruffling her hair. "You _are_ one!"

"Heh heh!" Deidara grinned as he saw a familiar breed of fowl start to appear before him and his companions. He ran right to the exhibit and stared at the few hawks that sat on branches of trees behind the glass. "Hi there, hawks, un!"

"Dei-Dei, can you talk to animals too?" Aina joked as she joined beside him. "Next on the Hallmark channel, 'Akatsuki Animal Whisperers!'"

The blond pushed her playfully. "Oh, be quiet, Aina. It's not my fault I like them, un."

She chuckled. "_Sure_, it isn't."

"I'm quite sure, un!"

A sudden silence came between the two. They stared at the hawks a bit longer as their friends looked around at other birds.

"What do you think it'd be like to be a bird?" Aina suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Is flying like a bird as amazing as it looks?"

"I think so," Deidara replied, closing an eye. "I mean, I ride on a clay bird, un."

"True! So what's it like?" she asked, looking at him with a smile.

He blinked. "Well, um... It's... I suppose it's exhilarating," he replied thoughtfully. "You know, one of those things that give you an adrenaline rush, un."

"Sounds amazing!" The brown-eyed girl grinned, her tone genuine.

The Akatsuki bomber couldn't help but smile endearingly at the girl. "It is, un."

"You know what else gives you an adrenaline rush? Getting chased by sharks!" Kisame suddenly broke in the conversation, grinning.

"The only adrenaline one would get is from fear, un!"

"That's the point!"

"I think I would prefer to fly than be chased by sharks," Emi commented, watching the hawks from a few feet away.

Sasori was standing next to her. "I'd have to agree, being shark food isn't my cup of tea."

"Pfft! You guys just don't know how to live."

"I think you mean 'you guys don't know how to die,'" the green-haired girl grinned.

Kisame looked at her. "Touche. But still! Nothing beats being chased by a shark!"

"Not when you're one of the sharks chasing someone," Itachi replied.

"...Touche."

"Shark attacks don't look fun anyways, un. Especially by the bigger male sharks..."

"Daddy shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, daddy shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, daddy shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, daddy shark!" Aina and Emi randomly sang as they vertically clapped their hands together, making bigger arm movements.

The shark-man looked at the two girls oddly. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes," the two answered, only to have him sigh slightly in turn.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"On a boat, yo!" Aina added.

"What the, pff, Aina...?"

All Kisame got was a huge grin from said girl as he just stared in slight confusion.

"Think nothing of it," Itachi said, passing him to go to the next exhibit.

Next on the list was Itachi's desired place. The weasel exhibit. Not that there was much. Itachi watched the weasels with great intent as he watched them do as they pleased in their habitat home. Silence was all that surrounded him as he sat quietly.

"So..." Daidara muttered under his breath, to the point where only a few of his companions could hear. "Why are we staring at weasels, un?"

"The same reason we stared at your hawks?" Sasori said in a rhetorical tone.

"They're kinda cute!" Aina chimed. "Don't you think so, Emi?"

Emi giggled slightly and nodded. "They're very cute!"

"You girls are weird, un."

"Do you have a problem with that?" Aina gave him a look.

"Er, no! Un!"

"Good."

The blue Kisame watched as his partner stared at a couple of the said animals, playing together. "Miss your brother?"

Itachi stayed silent a moment. "None of your concern."

He pat the black-haired man on the shoulder. "Hey... Don't sweat it, ok?"

Silence.

"...Eh, I'm going to go look at the ferrets," he stated, turning around, only to bump into someone. "Agh! Hey! Watch where you're going!"

_Smack!_

"Agh! Why you...!" Kisame held his nose in pain, only to discover that the person he bumped into was... an old lady...

"You should learn to respect your elders, you little brat," the grandma scowled before hitting him with her purse again and walking away.

Kisame growled. "That little..."

"Grandma shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, grandma shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, grandma shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, grandma shark!" the girls sang again, this time with Deidara.

The shark-man rolled his eyes, suddenly forgetting about Obaa-san. "You guys are nuts."

Sasori chuckled. "Childish, but cute. Though, I still question why the brat's singing along." He eyed the blond.

Deidara stuck out his tongue. "I'm nineteen, I still have leeway, un."

"Whatever floats your skirt up, brat."

"WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THAT, UN?"

Aina suddenly beamed. "I want to go see the lions now!"

"Alright," Itachi said, finally deciding to join them again rather than reminisce in his past.

"Tee hee! Let's go!"

"ROAR!" Aina imitated the lions who were only a few feet away from her. She lifted her hand up, motioning it like a paw scratching at something. Deidara chuckled, standing next to her.

"Having fun, un?" he smiled.

She grinned back. "Yeah, I love the lions! They are so awesome!" She looked back at them.

"Ever think of what it'd be like to be a lion?"

She looked at the blond. "Hm, I suppose I haven't. It'd be pretty cool, though! They are so powerful and can run so fast! I mean, the male ones sit like lazy bums all day, but the female ones are so hard-working!"

"That wold be cool. I think being a hawk would be better though. Then you can fly, un!"

"We should be griffins!" Aina shouted, a great epiphany hitting her.

Deidara's eyes widened in excitement. "Ok, that'd be pretty awesome, un!"

Emi and Sasori stood a few feet away from the blabbing couple. "They look ferocious..." Emi thought out loud.

"They can be, but don't worry, they can't get you here."

"I know," she smiled to him. "I just like animals that are more willing to coexist with others."

The red-head smiled back. "Makes sense...you are a peaceful person."

"I wonder who would win, a lion or a shark..." Kisame mused over the thought.

"I would think the lion," Itachi guessed. "They can probably swim to a certain extent, but sharks can't breath out of the water."

"Point well taken. But once in the water, I don't think it'd matter if they can swim or not, the shark would get them."

"Probably."

"Well, I think the lion would still win!" shouted Aina. "They are so awesome!"

"Sharks would totally win!"

"You need to watch The Lion King...Simba would kick any sharks butt any day!"

The argument was halted when a tour group came up to the lion's habitat. An older man, most likely in his sixties, headed the group. "Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows," he started.

Aina, Deidara, and Emi began a little song again. "Grandpa shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, grandpa shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, grandpa shark, do-doo-do-do-do-do, grandpa shark!"

"All right!" Kisame shouted in anger. "That song is getting very annoying now!"

The threesome gasped at his sudden outburst. "Shark attack, do-doo-do-do-do-do, shark attack, do-doo-do-do-do-do, shark attack do-doo-do-do-do-do, shark attack!"

"I think they're asking for it," Sasori commented to himself.

The raven-haired man overheard his comment. "I think you're right, Kisame looks about to burst."

And sure enough, his prediction was correct. The shark man began to run at the three teenagers, causing them to run away.

"Swim away, do-doo-do-do-do-do, swim away, do-doo-do-do-do-do, swim away do-doo-do-do-do-do, swim away!" they attempted to sing while running away from Kisame.

On-goers watched the four Akatsuki members run around, baffled expressions on their faces. Itachi and Sasori stood with the crowd, pondering what to do.

"Should we try to stop him?" the red-head asked.

"Hm," Itachi thought for a moment. "I don't know...it is kind of amusing to watch."

"Tis true, I just worry for Emi..."

"She'll be fine. He's probably just playing with them. He'd never hurt either of the girls. Deidara on the other hand..."

"That would be a blessing if Kisame dealt with him for me."

The raven-haired man chuckled. "He might not kill him, but he'd give Deidara a good scare."

"Good enough for me."

After things calmed down, the group decided to make their way to the scorpions, for Sasori. He and Emi walked up to one of the exhibits, while the others dispersed around the nearby habitats.

"I don't think I see him," Emi spoke aloud, looking in the small habitat.

"He's there," Sasori pointed his finger towards the back. "Right next to the rock."

Emi leaned closer to the glass, attempting to find him. Suddenly, from the top of the box, one of the scorpions fell to the ground, directly in front of her right eye.

"Gah!" the purple-haired girl cried, jumping back. She was beginning to loose her balance, but before she could fall, strong arms wrapped around her, helping her stay up.

The red-head lightly laughed. "Are you all right?"

"I-I think so," Emi's face began to turn bright red. "Arigatou, Sasori no Danna..."

"Douitashimashite."

A few minutes sat in silence while the girl tried to regain her composure that she had a tendency to lose. It was slightly awkward, but something about it was comfortable too.

'Agh, what am I doing?' Emi wondered, then noticed she was still being held. "Ah... S-Sasori no Danna...?"

"Hm?" He looked down at her.

"Um... Y-you can let go," she spoke softly, then added even more softer, almost in a whisper, "i-if you want..."

"Oh!" Sasori blushed, letting go of her immediately after making sure she was firm on her feet. What was he thinking, holding on to her like that? Wouldn't that make this thirty-five year old man with an eternal life complex seem even more creepier? "Gomen..."

"D-daijoubu," Emi smiled shyly, tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear. "Um... Anyways, the scorpion looks very interesting."

The red-head stood there a moment, he, too, trying to regain his composure. Though her comment only led him to a smile. "I'm glad you think so."

Emi smiled and looked back to the small exhibit of scorpions. He couldn't help but watch and wonder. Here he was, with Emi, and he felt he couldn't do much as to even embrace her as often as he'd like to. The thought of just his entire being having feelings for such a girl felt criminal. He _was_ a criminal, a killer...

Just like how, to any ordinary human, a scorpion was a killer.

After going through pretty much the whole zoo, everyone made their way back to the entrance, deciding it was best to head home.

"Ahh! Today was a fun day!" Aina sighed and stretched, resting her hands against the nape of her neck; her hands serving as support like a form of pillow.

"You bet, un!" Deidara grinned. "I liked being able to see the hawks, un!"

Kisame huffed slightly, though there was a slight chuckle to it. "You brats are so energetic..."

"Arigatou!" the two smiled some cheesy smiles, causing Kisame to sigh.

"You guys are hopeless..."

"Today was fun, nonetheless," Emi smiled. "I'm glad we got to come!"

"Well, I'm glad you all had fun today," Itachi smiled. "Let's head home now, shall we?"

Sasori chuckled once. "Sounds good. I'm beat."

"Oh... By the way, do you think Tobi went home?" Aina questioned.

"Meh, who knows," Deidara retorted, "who cares, un."

"Well, aren't you just kind," Sasori raised an eyebrow.

Kisame shrugged. "Eh, it's like Deidara said. Tobi is like the plague... Wherever he is, he'll be back."

The group nodded in agreement and just decided it was best to head home without fretting over the lost Akatsuki member.

"Tee hee!" a certain orange-swirled, masked man giggled, hanging on what looked like a tree branch. "Going to the zoo is fun," he mused, "but actually being a _part_ of the zoo?"

He let himself swing backwards on the branch, his legs supporting him from falling as he joined a group of monkeys, taking a banana a fellow monkey offered him. "This is _amazing_! I'll have to thank Sempai later!"

AN: YAY Shark Week! Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sakura and I had quite the fun writing it! Not sure what the next chapter will be about, but hopefully more shenanigans and hi-jinx will come soon! ~Ninoandjaffar


	13. Etanaru Aina

AN: So now, we are going to take a look into the past of one of our OC's...Aina! I hope you enjoy this short story! Where it states an age, that is how old Aina is during that section. Aina is eighteen in the other chapters of our story, if that helps at all!

Chapter 12: Etanaru Aina

Sitting around a massive round table were ten of the greatest shinobi of Amegakure. They were the elder's council, who would evaluate the ninja of the village for Pein-sama, leader of Amegakure. Large stacks of papers lay before them.

"Hm, seems most of them are fairly average ninja. We're seeing none with a kekkei genkai," one of the elders spoke up, a few papers in his hands.

Another looked to him. "That makes the third year in a row."

"This one seems to stand out, though...Etanaru Aina."

"What is so special about her?" a deeper voice questioned.

One with glasses peered from behind a paper about said girl. "She seems to exhibit a natural talent for chakra control. She would make an excellent ninja."

"Mayhaps we should have her study some medical ninjutsu. We are lacking of medical ninjas as of late."

"This is true," the man let out a sigh. "It's hard to decide where to place her...she would do well many places."

This time, a woman spoke up. "Let's start her with some medical ninjutsu, and see how she does. She would be the most helpful there, but we can be ready to have her study something else if this doesn't work."

"All in favor, say 'aye.'"

Everyone in the room spoke up.

"Any opposed, say 'nay.'"

No one spoke out.

"Then it is agreed that Etanaru will begin training as a medical ninja."

Age: 13 years old

"So..." a young preteen looked at her sensei skeptically, giving him a face, "you're saying that I should train to be a medical ninja?"

"That is what I'm saying," the older ninja replied.

"Aww! But I wanna kick the bad-guys' butts!"

The sensei let out a chuckle. "You'll learn over time. Right now though, medical ninja are desperately needed. You have the best chakra control out of all the genin your age in Amegakure, even compared to some who are older."

The girl blinked. "...Really?"

"You never noticed?"

"Never thought about it."

"Ah..."

After a short moment, the young genin, Aina, let a small smile creep onto her face. "Well, if you say that, I guess it would be best if there were more medics in the field, hm? I can always kick some bad-guy butts later."

"Heh... Sounds like a plan," sensei replied with a smile. "Let's get you registered then."

"YOSH!" Aina punched the air with enthusiasm, following her sensei. "I'm gonna be the best medical ninja EVER!"

"Whatever floats your skirt up, Aina," sensei chuckled.

"Hey! Don't say that, pervy sensei!" the green-haired girl scolded, causing her teacher to laugh heartily.

Age: 15 years old

"Gah!" Aina's companion cried as his body hit the tree. As it fell to the ground, she quickly ran to him, catching him in her arms.

"Hiroto!" she cried, collapsing due to his weight. She looked to her sensei. "They are both down. What are we gonna do?"

"This brings us at a massive disadvantage. With both Ken and Hiroto down, we're are two enemies each. We need to finish this fast."

"Give me enough time to seal this wound, then I'll be ready to help."

The four enemy ninja didn't seem keen on giving her time. They charged at them the moment her medical ninjutsu was cast.

With one hand over her companion glowing green, her other hand reached into her side-pouch, pulling out a kunai. With deadly accuracy, she managed to hit one of the enemies on the arm in a pressure point. His arm fell limp as he stopped. He began to study his arm as she tossed another kunai, this time hitting his chest.

"Good work, Aina. I can manage the three until you're done."

"Yes!" She placed her other hand over Hiroto, causing the glowing green light to grow. Within a moment, his wound had closed up, allowing her a sigh of relief.

Her sensei managed to take down another enemy, leaving only two left.

"Seems we're even now." Aina smiled as she ran next to her sensei.

"Seems so. We just need to keep pushing forward and eliminate these two."

"Let's do this!" She charged at the enemy, a kunai held forward. As she approached, her kunai began to glow, becoming engulfed in lightning.

"She's a lightning user?" one of the enemies shouted, shocked.

"Seems like she's nothing but trouble!" he spoke back, beginning some hand seals.

"No, don't use your water style!"

It was too late. As the water jutsu was cast, Aina charged him with enough force to land her kunai in the water. The shock traveled through the water to him. He spazzed out as the electrical current flowed through him.

"Dang it, this isn't good!" the other began for sensei.

Aina stood next to the shocked ninja as his body flailed uncontrollably on the ground. Wordlessly, she finished him with a kunai.

Her sensei made quick work of the other ninja, finishing the battle. Once all was deemed clear, the green-haired medical ninja returned to her allies. Her hand glowed green as she gave a more stronger healing jutsu to them.

"You have become a formidable kunoichi, Aina." Her sensei smiled to her, standing behind her.

"I hope to be as good as Lady Tsunade someday! She was the best medical ninja ever...but I want to be even better!"

"Still gonna try to top her?"

"Well, of course!"

Age: 16 years old

Pein looked out to Amegakure as the rain continued to fall. He was debating a problem and possible solutions to it, though nothing of any exception was coming to mind.

"Pein-sama," her voice was quiet as she entered. Konan stood beside him, looking out herself.

"Yes?"

"I have something you might like to see." She handed him the paper in her hand.

He studied the document carefully. "Etanaru...Aina?" he looked to her questioningly.

"Yes, she has shown great skill in medical ninjutsu. We have been searching for a medic nin for almost two months now, yes? I think she might be who we are looking for."

"Hm," he studied the document closer. "She's become a powerful ninja already...I'd like to see her."

"Personally?"

"Yes, have her come here immediately."

"Yes, sir." Konan spoke as she turned into small pieces of paper. She flew out the window, in search of the girl.

"Wow!" Aina's eyes widened as she saw the table. Food covered the entire surface, save for the place settings.

"You are always so hungry when you come home from missions, we prepared a feast for you." Her mother smiled.

"Domo arigatou, mom!"

"Mm, let's eat!" her father spoke up, entering the dining room. "I'm starving after smelling this."

"Heh heh, me too!"

The family quickly sat down, preparing to eat the meal. As they were about to begin, a small tapping was heard at the door.

"I'll get it," her father stood up, gently resting his chopsticks down.

"Hello, Etanaru-san," Konan greeted.

"God's Angel," he breathed, surprised to see her.

"I am here to speak with Etanaru Aina, if I may."

The man blinked his eyes a couple times. "Oh, of course! Let me get her now...Aina!"

"What's up, dad?" the green-haired girl asked, her mouth full.

"God's Angel wants to see you."

Both Aina and her mother's eyes widened. "Wait...really?"

"Yes, so go now!"

"Yes, sir!" she quickly swallowed her food as she ran for the door.

"Hello, Etanaru-chan. I am here as a messenger for Pein-sama. He has requested an audience with you."

Aina gulped. "Of course. When would he like to meet?"

"As soon as possible. Are you available now?"

"Heh, heh..." she let a cheesy grin fall on her face. "We were in the middle of eating, but I can go now if you'd like."

"It would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry to pull you away at such a time." Konan began to walk towards the center of Amegakure.

"No problem at all, I can eat later."

A few minutes later, Aina was guided into the central tower, where Pein-sama could be found, though none ever spoke with him directly. Konan, 'God's Angel,' always spoke Pein's words to the public.

"He's here," Konan stated, pointing to two large doors.

"Ok," the green-haired girl carefully opened the door, stepping in. "H-hello...?"

"Etanaru Aina, it is a pleasure to meet you." the orange-haired leader greeted.

Her brown eyes went wide. "The pleasure is surely mine, sir."

"Do you know why you have been called here?"

"No, sir."

"Are you familiar with an organization called 'Akatsuki?'"

"Of course!" Aina smiled. "They were the organization started by you to free Amegakure back during the Third Shinobi World War."

"Yes," Pein began to look out the window. "Currently, we have ten active members, but there is a problem. We have no medical ninja among them."

"Then," Aina started. "Are you requesting my assistance for the Akatsuki?"

"Yes, you have proven yourself to be a fine medical ninja. I believe that in time, your name could be as well known as Princess Tsunade's."

'Princess Tsunade...maybe I could be Princess Aina, Medical Master!' the girl thought to herself with a smile on her face.

"Would you do us the honor of serving as a medical ninja?"

"Pein-sama...I would be honored to be among the Akatsuki. I will gladly offer my medical ninjutsu for them," she spoke confidently. 'Yosh! I am a member of Akatsuki! Mwahahahaha!'

"I would like you to move into the main base as soon as possible. How long will it take you to be ready?"

"I can be ready by tomorrow morning. Surely, my family would like a chance to say farewell."

"Of course. Be here tomorrow morning at sunrise."

"Yes, sir!"

"Whoa, really?" Ken looked to her, baffled.

"Yeah, I know! It's crazy, isn't it? But I, the great Aina, get to help the Akatsuki!"

"That's insane! Congratulations, Aina." Hiroto smiled to her.

"Arigatou! I'm so exited! This is possibly the highest honor anyone from Amegakure could get! You guys remember studying the Akatsuki at the academy, right?"

"Of course, it is definitely a high honor. Though...we will miss you." Ken came up to her and offered her a gentle hug.

"Aw...arigatou, Ken...Hiroto! Get over here! I want a group hug!"

Hiroto came over, squeezing the other two ninja. He stood a good foot taller than Ken, who was a little taller than Aina herself.

"I'm gonna miss you both! What are you gonna do without me?" Aina grinned to them.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to get better so we don't need your medical ninjutsu!" Ken grinned, raising a fist in the air.

"You bet! We'll be so good, you'll be hearing about us soon!"

The green-haired girl chuckled. "I can't wait for that day to come! All three of us will be famous! Maybe we'll be the next Sannin!"

"Ha ha, that'll be the day. Take care, Aina!"

"You too, Ken! And be well, Hiroto!" she waved goodbye to her comrades as she left.

"Of course, Aina!"

Their team sensei suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke. "Not bothering to say farewell to your sensei, huh? I see how it is..."

Aina gasped and turned back to meet the face of her sensei. "What? No! It's your fault for not showing up until the last minute!" With a laugh, she ran back over and hugged her ninja master.

He hugged back and grinned. "Do your best, Aina."

"I'll do better than my best!" she exclaimed. "I'll be the next Lady Tsunade! Or better!"

"Let's hope for the latter then!"

"See ya!" the brown-eyed kunoichi grinned, sending them a short wave of the hand before heading out again.

The rest of the group waved back, the two boys calling out more good-byes.

"Make us proud, Aina..." sensei smiled to himself.

"Aina," a familiar voice called. "Hey, Aina, snap out of it, un!"

"Hm?" the eighteen-year-old girl blinked, awaking from her reminisce. "Did you need something, Deidara?"

"No," he replied. "But it _is_ dinner time, un. It'd help trying to get your attention if you're not a space cadet, un."

"I spaced out? Oh! Ha ha, gomen!" she smiled.

He rolled his eyes and held his hand out to her. "Whatever. You coming, un?"

Aina chuckled and grinned, taking his hand. "Definitely. Food is good!"

AN: So, what do you think of Aina, now that you know where she comes from? She's quite a fun character! I enjoy having her be my Naruto-self! (As Emi is Sakura's character). I suppose this is a good chapter for a reminder disclaimer: WE OWN NOTHING OF THE NARUTO SERIES! THE ONLY THINGS WE TAKE CREDIT FOR ARE AINA, EMI, KEN, HIROTO, AND AINA'S SENSEI (Who has no name...)! There, that should last us, what, 5 more chapters? Well, feel free to comment your thoughts on Aina. Don't know when, but we'll give you a chapter for Emi too. Domo Arigatou! ~Nino and Sakura!


	14. Captain Kakuzu's Blasted Treasure!

AN: I want to take a moment and thank every one who's commented on our story so far! Sakura and I love to read what you guys tell us! I'm so glad you all seem to be taking a liking to both Aina and Emi! So, we have another chapter for you! Chapter 13! YAY!

Chapter 13: Captain Kakuzu's Blasted Treasure!

"KAKUZU, KAKUZU!" Hidan yelled throughout the halls of the Akatsuki headquarters as he reached his partner in the family room. "KAKUZU!"

"For crying out loud, what?" the green-eyed man gave the Jashinist a glare.

"Lookie what I found here!" the silver-haired priest grinned, holding out a scroll.

Kakuzu just stared, unamused. "...A scroll. Whoop-dee-frickin'-doo."

"Oh, 'Kuzu," Hidan pouted. "Just look at it!" With another grin, he opened the scroll, revealing some odd marks and hyphened lines.

"A dot-to-dot," Kakuzu's patience started to grow thinner. "Have fun with that. I hope your mental capacity can at _least_ handle something that trivial."

"_Ouch_!" Hidan's face twisted, a little hurt. "You just love making fun of me, don't you?"

"I like to list it as a past-time."

"You are just hopeless aren't you! Here I am showing you a treasure map, and you want to hurl insults at me? Wow, I thought money was more important to you than me..."

Kakuzu perked up. "Wait, let me see that again..." he tore the map from the priest.

"Hm, figures as much...mention money, and he's your best friend."

"What do you think the odds are that there is gold in this treasure?"

"I dunno...aren't most treasures full of gold?"

"This is true...I say we go treasure hunting!" the miser jumped out of his seat, preparing to depart.

"Gar," Hidan grinned, pretending to sound like a pirate.

"A treasure hunt?" Aina beamed as Hidan explained what was going on to her, Emi, and the two artisans.

"Where did you find a treasure map?" Sasori questioned, studying the scroll.

"In the attic!"

The group paused, just staring at the priest.

"That just sounds a little suspicious... un..." Deidara mumbled, being skeptical.

"There could be all sorts of things in an attic!" Aina chimed.

"Since when did we have an attic...?" Emi wondered, trying to remember ever coming across a door of some kind that she hadn't been through.

"Ah, right, you never did see the rest of HQ, did you?" Sasori chuckled. "Then again, we have many hide-outs, so it's no wonder."

"So, will you guys join Kakuzu and I?" Hidan pleaded, a puppy pout on his face.

"I don't see why not!" Aina grinned, obviously excited to go on a treasure hunt.

Emi nodded. "It sounds like fun!"

"I suppose I could..." Sasori replied.

"Dei-Dei?" the green-haired kunoichi looked over at her boyfriend. "Are you coming too?"

In turn, the blond glanced at his energizer bunny of a girlfriend. Her eyes were shining that chocolate brown again. "It sounds stupid, but I guess I have no choice, un," he sighed.

"Yay!"

"Hmm," Kakuzu studied intently on the map. "This looks like a cliff..."

"Really?" Hidan asked, looking over his shoulder. "It looks like a nose..."

"Any cliff would look like a nose!"

"Do we go there first?" Emi asked.

The zombie brothers looked again.

"Would make sense..." Sasori broke the small silence. "It looks like the second obstacle for us is what looks like a hill."

"That sounds so exiting, un," Deidara mused sarcastically.

"Then are we to the treasure?" Hidan shouted.

"No, looks like there's a third thing...a river," the miser pointed to a line that ran across the paper. "Then I think we are to the treasure."

"Ok, then let's go!" the silver-haired priest headed for the door. "You guys coming?"

"Sure!" Aina followed after him. "Come, Deidara!" she grabbed his wrist, dragging him with her.

"I'm coming, Aina! Un..."

"Shall we be going too, Sasori no Danna?" Emi looked up to him, a small smile on her face.

The scorpion returned the smile. "I believe we shall."

"There better be a very, VERY good treasure at the end of this..." Kakuzu muttered as he followed the group.

It had been a few minutes or so of walking and venturing the area, on the look out for said cliffs that they were meant to find. It wasn't until Deidara realized something.

"Hey... this area seems familiar... un..."

"Familiar?" Sasori questioned before taking a good look around. "Hm.. I suppose so..."

"Wait, isn't this where you two had your artistic battle?" Emi asked.

"Heh heh, and Sasori totally kicked your-"

"Aina! Un!" Deidara grumbled, earning a giggle from said girl.

"Goodness, did you really think I was going to say something else?"

"No, just didn't want you to mention it, un!"

"Alright then!"

"So is there a clue of some form?" Sasori asked aloud, looking at his surroundings.

Kakuzu hummed thoughtfully. "I would guess there is. Does it really matter though?"

"Of course it does!" Hidan grinned, hanging an arm around Kakuzu's shoulders. "It's a map after all! They're not gonna let us get the dang treasure that easily!"

"Hands off."

"Hm? Say what now, buddy?"

The zombie's eye suddenly twitched, irritated by his partner. "I said, 'hands off,'" he growled, taking the priest by the wrist and throwing him over his shoulder into the side of the cliff.

"AGH! Man, why did you freaking do that?" Hidan shouted, rubbing the side of his head after having landing in said spot. "'Kuzu, you're so-" Abruptly, the silver-haired man cut his sentence short, purple eyes staring at the cliff-side. "Hey...! Take a look at this!"

"What is it?" Sasori walked over to see what he was looking at. In the rock and dirt was what looked like carving. "Are those words?" he asked.

"Looks like it!" Aina grinned, having joined the two, followed by Emi and Deidara.

"'I am one who loves to tempt, I am one who has never slept, I am everywhere but nowhere in sight, I constantly work to win a fight. I am your brother. Who am I?'" Deidara read. "What kind of silly question is that, un?"

"It's a riddle, baka," the red-head replied.

"I know that, Danna! Un!"

"So, then, what's the answer?" Aina pondered.

"That's what we have to find out." Kakuzu looked over the words, thinking on them. He had to admit, as stupid as it sounded, it really was one to stump the solver.

"Hmmm..." Hidan tapped a finger on his lip. He stood there a few minutes, thinking, though, his face started to show just how hard his train of thought was running. "AH HA! I GOT IT!" he suddenly shouted, making everyone jump. "I SAY IT'S JASHIN!"

Everyone just stared.

Deidara was first to speak up. "How does _that_ even make sense, un?"

"Because he's exactly like that!" he cried proudly.

"But is he your brother?" Sasori emphasized, causing Hidan to pause on his almost started rant on how Jashin fits perfectly to the riddle.

"...No...?"

"It's obviously not Jashin," the stitched man sighed. "It's someone else."

"But who...?" Aina asked, still wondering.

"Um, guys?" Emi finally spoke after a good time of thinking.

"Hm? Yes, Emi?"

"I think Hidan is actually on the right train of thought for this riddle," she stated.

"You really think so?" Hidan's face brightened, suddenly bringing her into a bear hug. "Emi, you're the best! You're the only one who believes me!"

"Eh, er.. Hi-Hidan..." Emi struggled to get out of his bear hug no jutsu. "I-I only said you were on the right track..."

"Then would you mind telling us, Emi?" Sasori glared at the Jashinist, forcing his arms away from the girl. "If you think you have the solution, that is."

"Well..." she looked up at him and the others, then glanced at the riddle. "I think it may be the devil."

"The devil?" Deidara's brow raised slightly. "What makes you think that, un?"

"Well, the devil is similar to Jashin, is he not?" she started, making a point. "The only thing that didn't fit Jashin was the last part of the riddle. But I remember hearing from some people that the devil is also a son of God, as we are children of God; therefore, that would make him our brother, right?"

"That... actually makes more sense, un," the blond blinked. He didn't believe in such things, but from a religious perspective, it _did_ make sense.

"Ok, so we have the riddle solved," Aina began, "but what does the devil have to do with our treasure hunt?"

"Good question!" Hidan shouted. "Guess we'll just have to go to the next place and get the next clue!" He began marching off.

Kakuzu looked at the map, then to the Jashinist. "Um...you know you're going the wrong way, right?"

The silver haired man paused, then quickly turned around, walking right in the middle of the group. "Of course I did! Some one's gotta keep you on your toes!"

"Let's head to the next place!" Aina ran after him.

"Un!" the blond bomber quickly followed.

Sasori let out a sigh. "Guess we'd better go too."

"Yeah," Emi smiled to him, walking beside him. "This is kind of amusing, though."

"Tis true."

A while later, the group finally found their next destination. A hill. It was actually quite the striking scene for a simple hill. A bed of flowers blanketed the whole of the hill, over the lush green grass. Butterflies and other such insects fluttered and crawled their way around the area.

"Wow," Deidara said blandly. "What a scene, un."

"Well, _I _think it's beautiful!" Aina retorted. "You don't see views like this every day!"

"You're right!" Emi smiled. "It looks very peaceful here!"

"NEXT CLUE!" Hidan yelled, running around in the field of flowers in attempt to look for said hint. "NEXT CLUE, NEXT CLUE!"

"You're just as bad as Tobi, Hidan!" Kakuzu scowled.

"So where do you think it is then?" the red-head puchinello questioned, staring at the flowers.

"Not sure. We should take a look around, I suppose, un," Deidara suggested and started to look around with everyone.

"Maybe you should look from above, Deidara," the green-haired ninja suggested.

"I can do that, un!" the blond quickly reached into his clay pouches, creating a clay bird. "Wanna come?" he extended a hand to her.

She smiled to him. "Sure,"

The two ninja began for the skies, leaving the others on the ground.

"Think they'll actually find anything?" Kakuzu asked, looking at the map yet again.

"Pfft! There's probably another riddle written somewhere," Hidan began to walk around. "Where are you, you blasted clue?"

"Whoa! Everything's so small!" Aina grinned, looking over the edge of the bird.

"Pretty cool, isn't it, un?"

"Yeah." She began to scan for anything that would be helpful.

"~I can show you the world..." the blond began to sing, "shining, shimmering, splendid...tell me, Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide~?"

The green-haired girl began to giggle. "I didn't know you sang!"

"Heh heh...I don't sing very much, un..."

"You should sing more, you sound very nice."

Deidara felt his cheeks burn at the compliment. "Arigatou, un,"

Her eyes found themselves looking at the field of flowers along the hill-side. After a moment, she came to a realization. "Deidara...?"

"Un?"

"Look," she pointed to the field.

"What of it, un?"

"Doesn't it look like...a duck?"

"Huh?" he looked harder. "Well, I suppose it does look like a yellow duck, un."

"We should tell the others!"

"Un!"

As the two landed, the others gathered to them.

"Find anything?" Hidan asked.

"Well, I think we found a duck, un."

"Huh?" the Jashinist looked puzzled.

"Are you guys feeling ok?" Sasori questioned.

Emi reached a hand onto Deidara's forehead, pushing his forehead protector out of the way. "He seems ok..."

"No, we mean the flowers look like a duck from the sky." Aina added. "It's a yellow duck."

"That's...not bizzare or anything..." Kakuzu sighed.

"So, we have the devil and a duck for clues..." the silver-haired man began to think.

"Both start with 'D!'" the green-haired girl chimed in.

"This is true...but what will this have to do with the treasure, un?"

"I don't, maybe we need the third clue...we're heading to one more location before the treasure, right?" Emi offered.

"Sure!" Hidan began to march again. "Off to the next place!"

Kakuzu fought back a groan. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"Nope! But that's what we have you for, right? So, where am I going?"

"That way," He pointed to his right.

"Ok, here we go!"

As the priest marched off, Kakuzu began the other direction.

"Um, Kakuzu," Sasori started, "didn't you say it was that way?"

"It's what I said, but I can lie..."

Emi blinked a couple times, her purple-blue eyes looking back and forth between the 'Zombie Brothers.' "Shouldn't we tell Hidan...?"

"No, I think it'll be better without him." Sasori gently grabbed her wrist bringing her to follow Kakuzu.

Aina let out a small laugh. "Poor Hidan..."

"Serves him right, annoying Kakuzu all the time, un.."

"So this is the river, eh?" Kakuzu mumbled as he looked to the body of water and back at the map. "Alright. Where's the next clue...?"

"I guess we'll have to look around again," Aina replied.

Emi was next to question. "But where to look...?"

"Everywhere, I suppose, un," the blond said.

"Well, let's get looking, then," the red-head said as he started to look around.

After a good while, the treasure hunters decided to take a short rest.

"Goodness, this is hard!" Emi found a spot on a rock and sat herself down on it.

"With every adventure comes challenges, I say!" Aina grinned in attempt to lighten up the mood.

The miser sighed. "Very annoying challenges. Juvenile."

"They're not juvenile!" the green-haired kunoichi argued. "I think they're fun!"

"Then you're juvenile too."

"I'm eighteen!"

"And I'm your great grandpa," he replied sarcastically.

Deidara blinked thoughtfully. "He could be... un..."

"I'm not."

"But you're, what, ninety-frickin'-one years old?" Hidan pointed out.

"Shut up." Kakuzu's green eyes then blinked. "Wait, where did you come from?"

"Everywhere, but nowhere," he grinned.

"Ugh, you're just like Tobi!"

"I'm worse though. He may be the plague, but I hurt people!"

"Hey..." Sasori suddenly spoke up. "What's this?"

"Hm? What is it, Danna?" Emi asked, getting up to see what he was staring at.

"This," he pointed to the water. Oddly enough, the foam on the side of the river next to a few water-submerged trees, seemed to make shapes. And not just any...

"Numbers? And a word?" Emi's eyebrow raised, trying to make the shapes out.

"Looks like it..."

Deidara and Aina were next to join them, leaving the other two to bicker.

"'Upside-down, 6-3-1?'" He blinked. "What kind of hint is that, un?"

"Who knows?"

"Looks like we'll just have to find out!" Aina chimed.

"But what could it be?"

"Maybe it's a code, un?"

"But how would it fit with the other two clues?"

"Good question!" Hidan yelled, now having joined the group.

"Maybe the numbers and word stand for something?" the money-loving zombie suggested.

Emi tapped her chin lightly with a finger. "Let's see... The clues we have are 'Devil,' 'Duck,' and 'Upside-down, 6-3-1'..."

Aina pondered on these hints and stared ahead of her. "Hmm... There are three trees here..."

"So what?" Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"I dunno," she shrugged with a smile.

Emi then blinked. "Wait a minute... You said three trees?"

"Yes, I did!"

"Hmmm..."

"Are you on to something, Emi?" Sasori questioned the purple-haired girl.

"...Hey, isn't the Devil's number six?" she suddenly asked.

Deidara blinked. "I suppose so, un."

"...What if the treasure was right around here?"

Everyone stared.

"What do you mean?" Hidan asked.

"Well... There's a six in the hint. And the Devil's number is six. There's three trees here," she pointed to said trees, "and there's one treasure."

"Ok," Kakuzu trailed off, a bit baffled. "What's that got to do with anything? And what about the other hints?"

"Well, the Devil's number is six, there's three trees, and one treasure. So, that leaves 'Duck' and 'Upside-down,' correct?"

"I suppose so," Aina answered, trying to figure out the medic's logic.

"Don't ducks turn upside-down to get their food?" she implied.

Sasori frowned in confusion. "I guess, but we're not quite following..."

Emi suddenly smiled, hitting a confident epiphany. "Then the answer is in the clues! I think the treasure is upside-down!"

"Ok, now you've _really_ lost me," Hidan complained.

"Oh, gomen! I mean... I think the treasure is underwater!"

"Underwater?" Deidara repeated. "How does this make sense, un?"

"The devil lives "down-under" and his number is six, ducks turn upside-down in the water to get their food, there are three trees practically _under_water, and overall, the numbers probably _are_ a code to the treasure! I would think that the treasure is underwater, near these trees!" she explained.

"I.. I think I understand where you're coming from," Aina smiled, still trying to hit that brick wall of understanding.

"Then who's going to retrieve it, if it's even there, un?"

"I say Hidan goes!" Kakuzu abruptly spouted.

"Huh? Why me?" Hidan turned to his partner in disbelief.

"Because idiots can't drown," he replied.

"Don't you mean 'catch a cold?'"

"Same diff."

Hidan groaned, knowing he wasn't going to win this fight even if he tried. "Fine. I'll go get the blasted treasure." He took his cloak and shoes off as he said this, tossing them aside and headed towards the river. "If I get pulled into the current, I'm going to blame you, 'Kuzu."

"That's perfectly fine with me," he replied. "You would be stuck in there anyways, so no one would hear your spouting."

The silver-haired man sighed, muttering something about how mean the old zombie man was being and finally dived into the river. The others stood there quietly, waiting.

"So, what made you come up with such an answer?" Sasori looked down at the purple-blue-eyed girl.

"I tend to stay fascinated with the mystery genre," she replied with a smile.

"Hm. I see..."

A minute passed, and then two...and still there was no sign of the Jashinist.

"You think he's ok...?" Aina puzzled.

"He'll be fine, he probably managed to get lost," the miser reassured.

"Maybe we should check on him, un." Deidara reached into his pouch, producing another bird. "At the very least we can get the treasure up here, un."

"Feel free to leave him down there," Kakuzu suggested as Deidara flew down.

"I'll think about it, un!"

As the blond flew down to the river, the silver haired man popped his head above the surface. "I found it!" He shouted.

"Good, I'm coming, un!" As Deidara swooped down, the claws of the bird grabbed Hidan with the treasure chest, bringing them back to the others.

"You just had to bring him back..." the stitched man sighed.

"Well, it was easier if I got both of them. Anyways, here's the treasure, un!"

"Let's open it up, then!" Aina ran over to the treasure chest. "Aw...it has a lock on it."

"It looks like a tree..." Sasori pondered the lock.

"Try three." Emi peered over the green-haired girl's shoulder.

"Ok." She turned a little dial on the side till the number three showed up, then a small click was heard. "How did you know that would work?"

"There are three trees down there, so I figured the number was probably three."

"Makes sense."

"Well, let's get this opened!" Hidan, now free of the bird's claws opened the top of the treasure chest.

All stood around, watching the lid open. Everyone stared at the contents, different facial expressions on all of them.

"Are...are those..." Deidara started.

"Rubber ducks?" Kakuzu finished for him. "What...sort of treasure is THAT?"

Sasori burst out into laughter, leaving everyone to stare at him confused. "I can't believe we went through all of that for a box of rubber ducks...that look like devils!"

Emi looked to the red rubber ducks, then back to the scorpion. She too began to laugh. "This is quite the interesting find!"

"What am I going to do with this?" Kakuzu began to reach his boiling point. "Hidan..." the miser growled, walking closer to the Jashinist.

"Wait...what are you doing, 'Kuzu?" he slowly stepped back out of fear.

"You lead us on this stupid chase! I'll bet you knew the whole time, didn't you?"

"I didn't, I swear!"

It was too late for him to argue back. Kakuzu swung his arm forward, striking the silver-haired man under his chin. Hidan flew into the sky, disappearing in the clouds.

"I'm going home!" the miser stomped off.

Silence fell onto the group as they watched the stitched-man leave.

"I don't ever want to be on his bad side, un..." the blond stated.

Aina blinked her eyes. "Me either..."

Suddenly, a cry was heard. Everyone looked up to see a black dot in the sky begin to grow, slowly taking form. Hidan crashed into the ground, creating a massive crater.

"Ow..." he groaned.

"Hidan!" Emi ran to the crater, looking down on the Jashinist.

"I think he needs help." Aina stood next to Emi, before jumping into the crater.

"That...kinda hurt...bad!" Hidan managed.

"Don't worry, Emi and I will help you."

As the two medic ninja cared for Hidan, Sasori and Deidara looked at the treasure chest.

"So, what are we gonna do with this?" Sasori asked the blond.

The bomber shrugged his shoulders. "Tobi might like them. It'd distract him for a while, un."

"So we'll take it back?"

"Why not? Worst case, Kakuzu can sell them on Ebay."

"Sounds good to me."

Finally getting home, the group found themselves plopping onto the couch, Hidan setting the treasure box down. It was quite a long day.

"Oh! Sempai, Sempai!" a certain irritatingly bubbly voice called from the side of the room. "What did you find?"

"Hey, Tobi," Deidara replied with a tired sigh. "We got you something, un."

"A present for me?" his eye seemed to gleam from behind his mask quite brightly. "You got me a present, Sempai?"

"Not really, more like we just found it and thought you'd like it, un."

"YAAAY! A present for Tobiiii!" the masked man chimed as he ran over to the treasure chest, opening it easily. "Happy Tobi is happy!"

Everyone blinked, perking up in confusion.

"Tobi?" Aina blinked in question. "How did you get that open so easily?"

Said man opened the chest, revealing the many rubber devil duckies, picking one up and squeezing it as it made a squeak. "Ah! It was easy!"

"How?" Sasori was next to question the man.

He giggled to himself in amusement. "You are all silly. This is _my_ treasure chest!"

"WHAT?" The group seemed to gasp.

"Yeah! I lost the map to my treasure quite a while ago. I've been looking for it for months! Where did you find it?"

"The... the attic..." Hidan managed to say.

"Oh! I should have known I put it up there! Silly me~!" Tobi giggled again.

"That... was... _your_ treasure...?" a voice sounded from behind the orange-masked Tobi.

He turned to meet the ferocious face of the miser, Kakuzu. "Oh! 'Kuzu-sempai! Yes, it _is_ my treasure!"

"What... kind of treasure..." his voice was low, head lowered so one couldn't see his eyes, "is _that_?"

"My collection of rubber, squeaky devil duckies!" Tobi seemed to smile.

"You..." Suddenly, the miser's head shot up, green eyes gleaming with pure demonic evil as he grabbed at Tobi's garb. "_YOU'RE_ THE ONE TO BLAME!"

"_EEEK_! Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai, Sempai! Sempai!" Tobi writhed and wriggled as he hung a good foot off the floor. He glanced at Deidara then as he continued to wiggle. "Sempai! Sempai, help me!"

"Eh, I don't know," Deidara mused, relaxing against the couch, his arm around his green-haired girlfriend. "I kind of like watching you squirm, un."

"SEMPAI!"

"This doesn't seem like it's going to end well," Sasori stated thoughtfully, picking up the remote. "I think I'll watch some T.V..."

AN: Who would have thought Tobi to have the mental capacity to create such a treasure hunt? I sure didn't...well, anyways, let us know what you thought of this chapter! Or chapters before, we don't care! Look forward to more from us soon! We're only on chapter 13 anyways...so much more to write! Leave us a note! ~Nino and Sakura!


	15. Puppeteer of the Opera

AN: Whoo! Another chapter out! This one was a lot of fun to write, in my opinion. Sakura and I love to sing the Phantom of the Opera together! Sakura usually sings Christine's part because she's a better singer than I. Supposedly, I'm not that bad, but I'll let her take that high 'C' since there's no way I'll hit it! Anyways, I kinda like the Phantom's part! It's pretty cool! So, enjoy chapter 14!

Chapter 14: Puppeteer of the Opera

Today was just another regular morning. The sun shone brightly, the sky was blue, the grass was green, birds were chirping...

Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch.

In the kitchen of one of the many Akatsuki homes, a girl with lavender hair stood at the oven, pan and spatula in hand. Emi had gotten up early, since it was her turn to make breakfast for the organization. She decided that something simple would be good for breakfast. Eggs, toast, and a choice of bacon and/or ham slices. The whiff of the scents filled the air and drifted off throughout the whole of the hide-out.

"Mmm, can't wait till this is all done~" Emi smiled, letting out a small yawn. She picked up a tray from one of the cupboards and set it aside, starting another cooking project.

While she cooked, she soon started to hum a tune softly. It was a habit that she had for quite a long time. If she busied herself with something, she'd eventually get so focused to the point where she'd hum or sing without even realizing it. It didn't take long for this girl to progress with her humming.

"In sleep, he sang to me... In dreams, he came... That voice which calls to me... and speaks my name," she sang quietly as she worked, continuing the song at the same time. "And do I dream again, for now I find... the Phantom of the Opera is there... inside my mind..."

"Sing once again with me...our strange duet..." His voice caught her off-guard. She gasped as she looked behind her, seeing the familiar red-head. "My power over you...grows stronger yet...And though you turn from me...to glance behind...the Phantom of the Opera is there...inside your mind..."

Emi turned red, but she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before continuing. "Those who have seen your face... draw back in fear... I am the mask you wear..."

"It's me they hear..." Sasori whispered.

"Your/My spirit and my/your voice, in one combine..." they sang together, their voices meshing in perfect harmony. "The Phantom of the Opera is there... inside my/your mind..."

"He's there... the Phantom of the Opera..."

"In all your fantasies...you always knew...that man and mystery..."

"...were both in you..."

They sang in unison again. "And in this labyrinth...where night is blind...the Phantom of the Opera is here/there...inside my/your mind."

"Sing, my Angel of Music!"

"He's there... the Phantom of the Opera..." Emi started again and then into many notes of vocalizing.

"Sing my angel of music." Sasori spoke as her notes began to rise. "Sing for me...Sing my angel of music...Sing for me!"

Suddenly on cue, Emi's voice raise another step once again. It was at the song's highest pitch, C. Amazingly enough, she was able to hold it as long as it was supposed to be held. When she finished, she blinked, slightly bewildered.

"...Did... Did I really hit that note...?"

Sasori smiled to her. "Why, yes, I think you did."

"That was...amazing!"

"You have a beautiful singing voice, though."

Emi blushed. "You-you really think so?"

"Of course, you were able to hit that last note perfectly...and sounded good on it as well."

"Domo arigatou, Sasori no Danna."

"Douitashimashite."

"Oh! But your voice was amazing too, Danna! I had no idea you could sing?"

"Well," he gave a nervous chuckle. "I've never actually sang before. I'm glad you think I'm good."

"You were wonderful! It sounded so wonderful with the two of us together." Her smile grew into what could be described as the most beautiful grin the puppeteer had ever seen. He couldn't help but return the smile himself.

"Sorry to burst this sweet moment," a new voice entered the stage, belonging to a certain silver-haired man, "but do you two have any idea what time it is?"

"Oh, Hidan!" Emi jumped back. "Gomen nasai! Did we wake you?"

"Yeah...Hey, is that bacon I smell...?"

"Yes, it is...I made breakfast for everyone."

"Ok, if I get the first plate, I'll forgive you two for waking me up."

"Go for it." She smiled to him.

Hidan returned the smile with a grin and headed straight for the plates and food. He was _definitely_ getting his fair share today, since, as far as he knew, Kakuzu was still asleep.

Slowly, everyone else started to wake up and find themselves in the kitchen. Emi let them sit down as she brought them their plates before going back to work on her second cooking project.

"Emi?" Aina yawned. "Aren't you going to sit down and eat?"

"I will once I finish these," she smiled, rolling what looked like crumbs into a ball. This happened to slightly baffle the family of Akatsuki members.

"What are you making?" Kisame asked, taking a bite of bacon.

Emi grinned, putting a finger to her lips and giving him a teasing wink. "It's a surprise! You'll all like it, I'm sure."

"If you say so..."

"We look forward to your surprise, Emi," Itachi smiled, causing her to giggle.

"Arigatou."

Later that day, the same purple-eyed girl stood up from a game of Back Alley with Aina, Deidara, and, amazingly enough, Sasori, and headed for the kitchen.

"Emi, where are you off to?" Sasori asked, looking up from his deal of cards.

The small girl looked back and smiled at him. "Well, I'm hoping the room I'll be entering is the kitchen."

A light laugh escaped the scorpion's lips. "Being a smart alec again..."

She giggled. "I'll be back!"

Aina giggled. "I wonder what she's up to?"

"Who knows, un?" Deidara replied, looking through his cards.

Upon reaching the fridge, Emi opened up the freezer door, reaching in. "They should be done by now..." she mused with a smile as she brought out the cookie sheet she previously used for the little balls. There they were, the said small balls of crumbs sitting on the pan in almost perfect, round, well... _balls_. "Now to finish making them!"

Setting them on the counter, she walked over to a nearby drawer and took out some sticks, followed by what looked like a chocolate melting machine from another cupboard; sprinkles and decorative frostings' following. Finally, Emi continued off to work.

"Ugh, what's taking that girl so long, un?" Deidara whined, still holding his cards. "I want to finish our game, un!"

'Maybe I should check on her...?' Sasori thought to himself, about ready to get up.

"Wait, are you leaving too, un?"

"Just to check on her...I'll be right back."

As the red-head stood up, Aina slowly lowered her cards to rest gently on the table.

"Awesome, " Deidara roughly slapped his cards down. "Now we'll never finish, un!"

"He said he'd be right back..."

"But still, what if, I don't know, she tripped and got hurt? He'd spend the next two hours making sure she's ok!"

The green-haired kunoichi laughed. "I'm pretty sure it wont be that long. Don't worry, we'll finish this."

"But we're winning..." the blond pouted.

"I know," she pretended to sooth him. "It'll be ok, I promise."

He let out a sigh. "Well, they'll be a few minutes, wanna see what's on the T.V.?"

"Sure, I wonder if that silly show Hidan watches is on...you know, the one with the guy in orange..."

Sasori entered the kitchen, watching as Emi worked hard on her 'surprise.'

"Need some help?" he asked her.

"Ah, Sasori no Danna!" she looked to him surprised. "You're not supposed to be here! It's a surprise!"

"Gomen, gomen!" he quickly retreated outside the kitchen door. "I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."

The lavender-haired girl let out a sigh. "It's ok... Gomen for yelling at you."

Sasori smiled, though he knew she couldn't see. "It's fine, no worries. I'll head back to the family room, then."

"I'll be there in just a few minutes."

He nodded to himself. "Alright. I'll be sure to let Aina and Deidara know." With that, he headed back to the room to explain what was going on.

"Emi said... Uh... Are you two _really_ watching that?"

"Hm?" Deidara and Aina turned to glance at the puppeteer, Aina in his lap. "Well, if she _really_ wants to know, then yes, un."

"Ha ha, aren't you the funny one," Sasori rolled his eyes and sat next to the two. "Emi said she'll be here in a few minutes."

"Sounds good to me!" the green-haired girl grinned before all three turned back to watch T.V..

Silence commenced for a moment, until the red-head broke the silence again. "Seriously, are we _really_ watching this?"

"Everyone!" Emi called out finally after having been cooped up in the kitchen for some time. "Come and get some!"

Sasori was immediately the first to appear, followed by Aina and Deidara. "Some what?"

"Some of these!" she grinned as she held out what looked like a frosted lollipop to each of them.

"What... is this, un?" the blond bomber questioned as he studied the round thing on a stick, holding it in his hand.

The purple-haired girl giggled. "It's called a cake pop!"

"Cake pop?" Sasori blinked, his head tilting to one side.

"You mean it's cake on a stick?" Aina asked, admiring the little flower designs on it.

"Yup!"

Deidara's brow furrowed deep in thought and disbelief. "But how does one get _cake_ on a _stick_, un?"

"You freeze it. Just try it!"

"Yeah, try it, Dei!" his girlfriend chirped, already starting to eat it.

"Alright, alright... un..." he said, putting the pop in his mouth.

"What's going on?" Hidan asked as he entered the room with pretty much all of the others. Even Zetsu and Pein came!

"My surprise! It's ready for everyone!" Emi handed each of them a cake pop she hand-made. "They're cake pops!"

Everyone seemed confused by the gift, but seeing Deidara eating one, assumed them safe. One by one, they began to eat them.

Zetsu looked at the cake pop questioningly. Usually, his diet consisted of people, but that's not to say he couldn't consume other things. He did, however, take note to the fact it looked quite like a small chocolate flower.

"If I eat this," white Zetsu started, "would that make me a cannibal?"

"Would it matter?" black Zetsu retorted.

"Good point." the first half agreed, and began to eat the delicious dessert.

"This is really good, Emi." Konan smiled to the youngest member.

"Hmhm! It's really yummy!" the Jashinist attempted with a mouthful of the treat.

"Arigatou! I'm glad you are all enjoying it!"

Conversation almost became nonexistent as the entire Akatsuki began eating the cake pops...except one member. Sasori found himself watching as the others ate.

"Gomen, Sasori no Danna..." Emi, dejected, looked to him.

He gave her a smile. "It doesn't bother me, Emi. I'm used to it by now."

"Do you...ever miss eating?"

"No, it always seemed a waste of time to me. I do regret not being able to compliment your culinary talent properly, though."

"Oh, it doesn't bother me at all," she smiled back. "I think with ten others complimenting me, my ego's getting plenty of support."

"Well, if it means anything, they have a nice appearance."

Emi giggled a little. "Arigatou, Sasori no Danna."

"Douitashimashite."

AN: Daw...wasn't that ending so cute? Wow, and usually Sakura writes the sappy stuff...and OH MY JASHIN! ZETSU IS HERE! Yeah, I don't know how we made it 13 chapters without everyone's favorite venus fly-trap, but somehow we did it! But there's no need to fear, because now he's here! I have no idea when he'll be back, so I'm terribly sorry to all of you Zetsu fans...it's just kinda hard to write for him without the story being specifically about him...please forgive us! Well, it might be a few days before we publish anything again, but don't worry, we just have a busy week ahead of us both! We are not done yet! There's too much to be done! So only for now! ~Nino and Sakura


	16. Pein's Worst Nightmare

AN: All right! Sorry for the delay, but like I said, Sakura and I have had a busy time! It's not over yet, as we are about to take a road-trip, but that's ok! We'll see what we can do about adding some chapters while we are gone! Better yet, maybe we can get some inspiration for some good ideas! :) So, here you go, chapter 15!

Chapter 15: Pein's Worst Nightmare

A yawn came deep from the mouth of everyone's favorite Akatsuki leader. Pein sat up, trying to resist the comfort of his pillow and stretched slightly, trying to wake up from the night's sleeping spell. He stared into space, recalling the fact that he had dreamt of nothing. It had been a long time since the last time he actually dreamed.

'Another night of darkness.' He sighed and forced himself out of his bed, ready to prepare for the day. The orange-haired man with the light purple Rinnegan eyes headed out to the kitchen, wondering if he should even bother eating breakfast.

"Hmm... I wonder where Konan is...?" he mumbled as he decided to make himself some simple toast and jam.

Suddenly, he heard the door behind him slam open. "Ok, what the _fudge _is going on here?"

"Hidan, what else would be going on?" he replied, slightly irritable. "It's breakfast time."

"You can worry about your dang breakfast after someone figures out who did this to me!"

Sighing, Pein turned to the silver-haired man, only to see that he was...

...A _woman_?

"Wha...what happened to you?" the leader asked, completely shocked.

Hidan let out an irritated huff. "Why would I ask if I knew?"

Pein was left speechless. Soon, more of the Akatsuki filtered into the kitchen. To his horror...

...they were all the opposite gender.

"So, basically no one has any idea what's going on?" the orange-haired leader addressed them all. Everyone mumbled agreements that they knew nothing.

"What are we going to do?" Itachi asked, holding 'her' cloak close.

"I don't know, but we should probably figure something out fast," Deidara commented.

Sasori looked to 'her.' "Now, can anyone tell me why he doesn't look any different? I mean, he didn't even get any-"

"Just shut up, Danna, un!"

"Heh heh, he really doesn't look all that different..." Aina commented, chuckling to 'himself.'

"Hey, just because I'm not as gifted, doesn't mean anything, un!"

"Guys!" Pein shouted. "...or, whatever you all are...we need to not get frustrated and figure this out."

"This is just awesome..." Sasori grumbled under 'her' breath.

"Do you think someone played a prank on us and we're just under a genjutsu?" a male version of Konan asked. The usually pretty angel now looked like a silent, manly seraph of awesomeness.

"Probably," the female Kisame replied, his voice now more girlier than his usual muscular bass voice.

"I don't know guys," Hidan said, flapping 'her' Akatsuki coat in a baffled concern, "I feel like something's missing!"

"Ugh, don't even mention it!" All of the girls who were once guys groaned in absolute horror at the thought of losing their dignity.

A hand went over Emi's eyes, embarrassed for 'himself' and for everyone else. "We really need to figure out what's going on," 'he' suggested in a now tenor voice, rather than 'his' former soprano.

"Well, I suppose until someone comes up with something, we just try to live like normal, right?" Kisame asked.

"'Normal?' There is no way this is normal!" Sasori gestured around the group. "Pein's the only one who's normal!"

"Danna, we can just try to deal with this..." the blond started.

"No, this is just preposterous! Ugh!" The red-head quickly stormed out of the room.

"What was that, un?"

Aina, Emi, and Konan looked to each other. "Great...I think he's PMSing..."

The group of 'girls' looked at them in slight disgust, not sure if they wanted to believe or even hear that piece of information.

"Y-you mean...?" Deidara started to ask.

"Yes, the great gift of Mother Nature," Konan replied, putting a hand on his shoulder nonchalantly.

"More like a curse..." Aina mumbled under 'his' breath.

"Ew... un..."

"I'll be right back," Emi stated, heading to 'his' room.

"Alright guys, I _really_ need your help here!" Hidan stated obnoxiously, holding two sets of clothes up. "I don't know which dress to wear!"

"Ok, right off the bat, the yellow dress has to go," Itachi stated ruthlessly.

Kisame nodded in agreement. "Mhmm, it's definitely gonna pale out your skin," 'she' replied. "Definitely don't want the yellow."

"But it's so pretty!" Hidan argued.

"No!"

"Ok..." the silver-haired 'girl' moped, setting the yellow sunbeam dress aside and held up another. "Well, how about this one then?"

"Hmm..." the two studied the pink pastel dress versus the lavender and royal purple dress.

"Tough choice," Itachi finally answered. "I think the purple one would definitely match your eyes..."

"But the pink one would too!" Kisame added. "It would even match her hair and give her skin a rosy color!"

"This is true," the raven-haired 'female' nodded. "But the purple would also match Hidan's hair and eyes... and make her skin look elegant."

"Touche..."

"Though, you're right, the pink one _would _look nice on her..."

"Just pick one already!" Hidan gave a high-pitched whiny pout.

Suddenly, a book slammed shut from behind the threesome. The male Emi looked up as soon as 'he' got their attention and frowned slightly. "Ok, if you guys can't make up your mind, then wear the pink one with the purple sash. It comes off, you know."

The three just stared at 'him,' trying to comprehend what 'he' said and the tone 'he' used.

"That," Itachi replied slowly, "would look _SO KAWAII!_"

"I know!" Kisame practically squealed. "That would just match her so well!"

Hidan grinned. "I guess I'll just have to put it on then!"

Itachi and Kisame followed the Jashinist out of the room to see the dress on 'her.'

Emi sat back down, a smile falling on 'his' face. 'He' picked up the book 'he' was reading and picked up where 'he' left off. Aina entered the room, walking up to Emi.

"What are they so giddy about?"

"You don't want to know..."

Lunch-time rolled around, and our favorite artistic duo found themselves in the kitchen, preparing ramen.

"It has been way too long since I've had to cook..." Sasori grumbled as 'she' began to stir the noodles.

The blond was on the other side of the kitchen digging through the fridge. "That's what you get for turning yourself into a puppet, un. Do you even remember what it feels like to be hungry?"

"Hm...not really, but I'm sure this horrible feeling in my stomach is what hunger is..." as 'she' spoke, her stomach let out a growl.

"Ha ha, yup! I'll bet that's hunger, un." Deidara began to take an egg near to where Sasori was working. 'She' pulled out a bowl to mix 'her' egg in before mixing it with the ramen. 'She' looked over to see how the ramen was doing.

"You didn't add the seasoning packets, un," 'she' commented.

"You don't add them in until the noodles are done."

"You always add them in first! It helps the flavor get soaked into the noodles, un." Deidara quickly opened one of the packets of seasoning, dumping it into the pot.

Sasori's eye twitched at the sight. "What are you DOING?" 'she' growled.

"I'm just putting-"

"You don't put the packets in until later! Why would you put them in now?"

"It mixes better if-"

"You know what? I don't even want to hear this! Why am I even attempting to work with you?"

"Danna, if you could just-"

"I mean, Hidan could probably cook better than you! He might actually consider cooking things properly, unlike you!"

"Is there even a proper way to cook ramen?" the blond asked, finally managing a complete sentence.

"Yes, there is! And it involved the packets being mixed in AFTER the ramen is cooked!"

"Why do you even know how to cook? Didn't you mention that you hadn't cooked in a long time, un?"

"Like it matters! I can remember how to cook just fine, and I assure you the packets go in after!"

"What is all the yelling about?" A new voice entered. Aina, accompanied by Emi, entered the kitchen. 'He' looked to see if there was anything out of place.

"Deidara has no idea how to cook." the red-head stated matter-of-fact.

The green-haired 'man' looked baffled. "Are you feeling ok, Sasori?"

"Me? I feel just FANTASTIC! Especially knowing my ramen wasn't cooked properly!"

"Wait, what's going on?"

"I added the seasoning packet before the noodles were cooked, un." Deidara admitted.

"Which was a horribly foolish thing to do!"

"Emi," Aina whispered into the younger's ear. "I think he's PMSing..."

"What did you say?"

"Let me handle this," the lavender-haired 'man' stepped forward, holding out a chocolate bar. "Eat this."

Sasori blinked 'her' brown eyes. "Why?"

"It'll help."

"Chocolate's gonna fix my ramen?"

Emi fought back a laugh. "No, but it'll make you feel better."

"Ugh, fine. I'll eat it," 'she' began to unwrap the food, "...but I still don't see how this is gonna help. I mean, what is it about chocolate that is gonna make me feel better?" The chocolate bar made a snap sound as Sasori broke a piece off, placing it in 'her' mouth. "It seems so silly that chocolate would hold such magic! Why chocolate? What if there was a magical Twinkie that did the same thing? Or something else! Chocolate doesn't seem to..." Sasori slowed down in 'her' speech, until she just stood there, stunned. "This is really good. Where did you get this?"

"I keep a stash of it in my room."

"A stash?" Deidara blinked. "Really, un?"

"Why would you need to keep a stash of chocolate?"

"Any person would know why..." Emi peered over elsewhere, a slightly embarrassed blush on 'his' face.

"Oh..." Sasori trailed off, taking another piece of the chocolate bar and brought it to 'her' lips. "This... This really is a magical chocolate bar...!"

"Feel better?" Aina asked.

"Why, ye..." the female scorpion glanced over at the blond and paused, only to frown. "No, why would I feel better about someone ruining my ramen? Jeesh..."

The reply 'she' got was the blond and green-haired couple rolling their eyes, Emi chuckling.

"It's ok, Sasori no Danna," Emi smiled. "It all tastes the same."

"No, it do-ouch!" Deidara started to protest, only to get a jab in the ribs from 'her boyfriend's' elbow. "Hey!"

"He doesn't need to know that," Aina mouthed to 'her.'

"Jeez... un..."

"Well, I'm getting a little hungry myself," Emi smiled and walked over to the stove. "If anyone else is hungry, let me know, and I'll cook a full batch of ramen.

"I'm up for some!" Aina grinned, raising 'his' hand up in the air.

"I'll have some too, un."

"No," Sasori made a face.

"But Danna-"

"No."

"Oh, be nice, Sasori," Emi laughed, adding some more packs of ramen in, followed by the packets of seasoning, unbeknownst to the chocolate-eating puppeteer.

"Yes ma.. er.. sir...?"

"Pop, Six, Squish, Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz," a voice sang as slender hands slipped on some black, high heal stilettos, fastening them together as the voice repeated the same words a few times. They then stood up, a little, black dress falling in place as black sequins glittered and shined as the material moved.

"He had it comin', he had it comin', he had it comin' all along..." they now started to play with their new, long hair, starting to pull it up. They reached for some hairspray that they somehow found. "If you had been there, if you'd have seen it, I betcha you would have done the sa-" Suddenly, the 'woman' went into a fit of coughing, having had a whiff of the hairspray 'she' sprayed as 'she' tried to inhale.

"Gah, Tobi should really learn how to act like a girl!" the female Tobi waved a hand in front of 'her' face to get the strong, musty scent away from 'her' nose before covering 'her' face with 'her' mask again.

'She' looked into the mirror and made some adjustments before nodding with an unseen smile. "There we go! All pretty!" The 'girl' giggled and started to skip out of the room, only to stumble.

"Ah! Skipping, bad idea!" 'she' whined, making sure all was still in place before getting up again.

Before 'she' knew it, she was face-to-face with the familiar blond 'she' called sempai, who stared at 'her' with a mixed look of disbelief and disgust.

"Ah! Sempai!" Tobi chimed, jumping up and hugging 'her.' "Lookie, lookie! Is Tobi pretty?"

No words could be uttered from Deidara's mouth, as 'she' struggled to even grasp onto the words 'she' wanted to say. The sight was just too... disturbing.

"T... Tobi...?" Deidara finally managed. "What... in Jashin's name are you _wearing_, un?"

"Ah! You like it, Sempai?" Tobi swayed side-to-side, letting the sequins glimmer with movement. "Does Tobi look womanly?"

"H-Hardly, un!" 'she' yelled, backing away from the masked 'woman.' "You look like a flapper, un!"

"A flapper?" Tobi gasped, with an enthused tone that really shouldn't have been used. "YAAAY! Tobi looks like a flapper!"

"What's going on he..." Pein started to ask, only to stop in his tracks as he spotted the... not exactly cross-dressing Tobi in 'her' little black dress, stilettos, and up-do hair. "What... in Jashin's name..."

"Do you like it, Leader-sama?" Tobi interrupted with a pose, 'her' leg popping up flirtatiously. "Tobi is a good girl, yes?"

It was definitely one of those "what the crap" days, Pein came to the conclusion. Everything with every single moment was becoming foreign to him. He now understood how Alice must have felt when she found herself in Wonderland.

"Mundane," he said, shaking his head slowly. "You look completely mundane."

"Oh, but Leader-sama~!" Tobi came up really close to him, leaning 'her' body against his. This only made Leader-sama all the more uncomfortable. "Tobi _must_ look beautiful!"

"TOBI!" Deidara snapped, grabbing the back of 'her' dress. "Get your little, flapper butt over here, un!"

"Oh! But sempai..." 'she' started, only to seem to have a light bulb turn on over 'her' head. "Ohh! Sempai, Sempai! Are you jealous?"

"...What?"

"Is Sempai jealous of Leader-sama?" Tobi then opened 'her' arms to embrace the blond. "Tobi will make sure you get Tobi's love too, because Tobi is a good girl!"

"What? No... NO!"

The leader of the Akatsuki found himself in the living room of the hideout, pondering the situation. Why them? Why now? How to fix this? He had no answer.

The orange-haired man began to rub at the temples of his head, attempting to figure out something...anything. A small beeping in the back of his mind made it hard for him to concentrate too. It sounded vaguely like an alarm clock, but he wasn't sure. He tried to ignore it as he contemplated.

The beeping became a little louder. "Ugh," he quietly groaned to himself.

Slowly, things began to get blurry. His purple rinnegan eyes blinked a couple times to refocus. It continued to get blurry, however. Finally, everything went black.

His eyes opened, and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, instead of the living room he was just in. His blanket covered him as well. Perplexed, he sat up.

The door to his room slowly opened, and a head peered in. The blue hair gave it away immediately.

"Leader-sama? Are you all right?"

"Konan?" he puzzled. Her voice seemed unusually beautiful to him. Then, he remembered his dream. "Konan, are you...a girl again?"

"What?" Her face twisted in the slightest bit at the bizarre question.

Pein got out of bed, walking over to her. "You are...you sound like one, at least. Oh, thank the lord!" He crushed her in a bear hug.

"I...am very happy for you, Leader-sama. I don't know what kind of dream you had, but you didn't seem to like it. And yes, I am very much a girl. I don't recall ever being any different."

"Trust me, I NEVER want to see that again..."

"I don't blame you," she answered, then added after a slight pause, "Well, how about you get dressed and come down for breakfast then? We're having french toast today."

"That," he replied, "sounds really good right about now..."

God's Angel gave the Rinnegan master a small, warm smile. "I'll meet you in the kitchen then." With that, she gently removed his arms from the embrace he held and turned to leave him some privacy.

Pein headed down, usual attire worn and all, and made his way to the kitchen. Already, he could smell the warm scent of the french toast, making him hum. The scents of egg, toast, and the slight dash of cinnamon made his mouth water. It must have been both Emi and Konan cooking today, he thought. They always added cinnamon to their french toast.

The multi-pierced leader made it to the door, though, only to find something he would have never wanted to see again in his lifetime.

"Oh! Leader-sama!" Tobi chimed before he could sit down in his seat. His attire was made up of a little, black sequined dress, complete with stilettos and the attempt of having his short hair in an up-do. "You made it just in time for breakfast! Come sit down!"

The baffled Leader just stared. Silently. He then slowly started turning away, slowly inching out the door.

"...I'm going back to bed..."

AN: Wow, that would be a very creepy dream...I hope I never have a dream about something like that! Though it might be just as bad that we wrote a fan-fiction about it, huh? Well, I hope that none of you were too creeped out by it! It is definitely a whole different experience when you are gender-bending EVERYONE! Do tell us how we did, though. We love to hear from all of you! Thanks so much to those who have commented before! I know I keep saying that, but we really REALLY appreciate getting feed-back on this! Well, that's about all I have to say for now, I've got a lot of stuff to do the next couple weeks! Hope to post something in not too long of a time! ~Nino and Sakura!


	17. Akatsuki Boy Band!

AN: Oh my Jashin...has it been WAY too long since we updated! I want to apologize to those of you who have waited, what, 15 days now for an update? Sakura and I took a road-trip to see some relatives of mine, then headed to Washington DC for a vacation with her family. Things have just been a little busy. But, we've got a TON of ideas for future chapters, so not all was a loss! And we got to be in DC when the earthquake happened (if you don't know what I'm talking about, look up virtually any news site, and they'll tell you about it!)! It was AWESOME! Well, let me give you chapter 16, since you have all been wonderful to us, especially considering out massive delay!

Chapter 16: Akatsuki Boy Band!

"So, basically what you are telling us, is that in order to make up for all the money we've 'wasted' in the past couple months...you want us to start a 'boy band!'" Kakuzu questioned.

"That's precisely what I'm saying," the orange-haired leader, Pein, answered.

"That is going to cost us even more money, though," the miser began to argue. "We'll need to buy things like software, recording equipment, instruments, probably lessons for said instruments..."

"I play guitar!" Hidan jumped up exited.

"Do you really now, Hidan?" sarcastically, Kakuzu asked.

"Well, it was back when I was, like, twelve, but I'm sure I could pick it up quick!"

"Isn't that somewheres around ten years ago?"

"Yeah...back when I got to actually wear shirts," the purple-eyed man sheepishly smiled.

"You said you could go shirtless, you walked yourself into it."

"Both of you!" Pein raised his voice enough to stop them. "We're getting off topic. Anyways, we need a way to make money, and the music industry is booming. I figure at least a couple of you must be able to sing, so we're going to create an album."

"Well, we all know Sasori can sing..." Hidan glanced over to the red-head, who's face was turning the same color as his hair.

"So, now we just need to find a couple more singers and start this group, un," the blond bomber, Deidara, began to ponder.

"I guess I'm going to have to buy the equipment now," the green-eyed ninja grumbled.

Pein's eyes watched as the zombie started to stalk his way to a phone. "And don't get the cheap stuff, unless it's a really good brand. We don't want to end up having to buy more equipment if Hidan ends up breaking something."

"Hey!" Hidan grumbled. "Why me? Anyone else here is just as likely!"

"You're too careless to be responsible," the leader simply answered.

"I'm not careless!"

"Nah, you're just stupid, un," Deidara retorted.

"STUPID? WHY YOU-"

"Anyways," Pein continued over the two, now bickering, "just be sure to get some decent equipment. It'll save more money that way."

"Fine," Kakuzu moped away, continuing his journey to a cord phone.

~One Week Later...~

"So, wait? The blue cable plugs into the orange hole?" Hidan asked, baffled.

"That's what the diagram looks like, un," the blond studied the papers that came with the equipment set. He turned them about, attempting to make sense of the pictures on them.

"Is it really that hard to read?" Sasori asked. "Do you even know _how_ to read?"

"Damare, Danna! Un!"

"I'm just asking," he shrugged. "You haven't read a single part of the instructions to us yet."

"The diagram tells you everything you need to know!" he retorted. "It's like the words, but better, un!"

"Baka."

"I'm serious! A picture is worth over a thousand words, un!"

"Can you two just shut up a minute and tell me where this darned blue cable goes?" Hidan whined.

"I said it goes in the green spot, seriously! Un!"

"You said orange last time!"

"Well, now, I'm telling you green, so put it in the green, un."

"Ok~..." The silver-haired priest reluctantly looked back and forth between the spot and the cable and slowly connected the two together. "GAAAAHHHHH-AAAAHHH-AAAHHH-HHHHOOOOLLLYYYYY-CCCRRRRRAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP!"

Suddenly, multiple buzzing sounds vibrated from all over the hideout, followed up by said building to become completely dark.

"Nice job, brat," Sasori grumbled with a very blunt tone. "You've blown a fuse."

"It wasn't _my_ doing!" the blue-eyed shinobi growled. "The Jashinist Freak is the one who connected the two together. _I_ just told him to connect them, un!"

"And that isn't close enough?" Kisame's eyebrow rose through the darkness.

Itachi sighed. "We'll just have to check and see if everything isn't ruined."

"Don't even think of replacing anything if something is," Kakazu growled begrudgingly.

"H-hey guys, I feel kinda funny~" Hidan giggled, his body swaying side-to-side. "Why is everything so dark~?"

"Is Hidan ok?" Itachi asked.

"I hope not," Kakazu grumbled. "Hidan not being ok would be a blessing."

"Where're all the voices coming from?" Hidan wondered in awe. "Am I not alone? Mommy?"

"Maybe we can give him a discharge on insanity..."

"Well, first things first, we should probably check all the lights," Itachi replied. "Then we can deal with Hidan."

"Hidan? Tat's ME!" (AN: So...Sakura typed "That's" wrong...and it stuck!)

"I'm so proud you can recognize your own name..." Kisame just stared at the purple-pink eyed man in disbelief.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a light shown in from a flashlight. A second light soon followed it as the first one entered the room.

"What's happening, guys?" Aina's voice cheerfully asked.

"Whoa...is-is that a light? Jashin, I'm coming for you!" the Jashinist began to scramble about, tripping and getting tangled in chords.

"Hidan? I'm not Jashin, I'm Aina."

"Aina? Why does that sound familiar..."

"Is he ok?"

"No, apparently not. Though he made the fantastic discovery of his name." Kisame chuckled.

"What happened to him?" Emi asked, complete confusion apparent in her voice.

"Well, you see...Deidara told him to plug the blue cable into the green outlet and it electrocuted him," Sasori stated matter-of-fact.

"It wasn't my fault!" the blond in question started. "Then again...now that I think about it...gosh! We should've had Tobi do this!"

"Well, aren't you just a saint," mumbled the red-head.

"Ok guys!" Aina shouted, disrupting the argument. "Everyone but Emi, get out!"

"Wait, what, un?" Deidara questioned.

"You heard me! Out!"

"Fine, un..." the blond headed for the door.

"The rest of you, too! Get out!"

"What are you planning to do?" Sasori asked.

"We're setting this up, so out you go! That way, you won't get in my way!"

"And I'm supposed to listen to you why...?"

"Because I hold that kind of authority over you!"

"No, you hold that kind of authority over Deidara, what with him being your boyfriend and all."

"Well, I'll just have Emi back me up, right?"

"Um, well...I...guess so?" the lavender-haired girl mumbled.

"There you go!" Aina smiled victoriously. "So, out you go!"

The rest of the members filed out of the room, leaving to two girls to work. Kisame and Itachi worked to get Hidan out, who was mumbling incoherent thoughts to the group. ("I want a teddy bear for my poodle!" or at least something along those lines...) After the group left, the girls got to work. About a minute into the project, the lights came back on.

5 Minutes Later...~

"Ok guys! Come on in!" Aina smiled cheerfully to the group waiting outside the room. Baffled, they entered the room.

Before them stood what looked an actual recording studio. Every piece of equipment was placed neatly and organized throughout the room.

"Aina...?" Diedara began. "How...how in the world did you do this, un?"

"Well, back in Amegakure, I had a friend who liked to make recordings and such. So, he taught me how everything worked!"

"Who were you not friends with?" Sasori asked.

"Well, I don't think anyone disliked me!"

Itachi looked around the room. "Well, at least we have a studio now. So, about Hidan..."

"Do rhinoceros' really like pink slippers?" said man questioned, entering the room bewildered. "I think hippos would look better in them, personally."

"Have you thought to put giraffes in pink slippers?" Kisame mused.

"Are you stupid! Giraffes would look horrible in pink! They obviously have green tap shoes!"

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to insult the giraffes..." the blue man threw his hands up in the air in defeat.

"I suppose Emi and I should take care of him next..." Aina walked over to the silver-haired man. "Come on, Hidan,"

"THE BUTT-MUNCHER SHALL PREVAIL!" He shouted, being dragged away by the green-haired medical ninja.

Emi blinked her eyes in confusion. "This...is going to be interesting."

"Good luck," Sasori patted her back, "you'll need it."

"Arigatou?"

"Doitashimashite."

"So guys, let's get recording, un!"

"Do I really have to sing?" Kakuzu questioned, looking at the lyric-sheet.

"You'd sound the best for the lowest part, though, un."

"I'm not singing," the miser tossed the paper at the blond, walking away.

"Kakuzu! KAKUZU!" the blond chased after him

"Goodness, you're just as bad as Hidan...what part of 'no' are you not getting?"

"Both letters, now come sing with us, un!"

"Who's us?"

"Well, Sasori's gonna sing the high part, and I'll take the middle part," the bomber grinned.

"Do I have to sing too?" Sasori asked. "I never really agreed to do this..."

"All the more reason to have you sing, un!"

"Does that even make any sense?" Kakuzu unnoticeably raised an eyebrow.

"Sure it does!" Deidara chirped. "The world _needs_ to hear Sasori no Danna sing!" He turned to the red-head, a malicious grin growing on his face. "And I'm sure it'll impress a little girl called _Emi_ too, un..."

"...You dirty player," Sasori growled.

"Heh heh! Never said we couldn't cheat, now did we, un?"

"Anyways," Itachi handed Kakuzu the pages to the songs again. "We need you to be the bass. No one else would be as good at this part than you. Same with you, Sasori."

"Well, what about Kisame and you?" Kakuzu and Sasori asked, finishing each other's sentences.

"I can't really sing for the life of me," Kisame replied. "I sound like a rusty, old sailor who drank too much salt water."

"But aren't you a shark, un?"

"Yeah, that's exactly why I sound like that."

"And I can't sing because," Itachi paused a short moment, "I have to work the computers."

"You're just making up an excuse, un!"

"A very truthful one at that," Itachi replied with a comeback. "Are you good with technology? Hm? Your show earlier today sure proved you couldn't even handle simple instructions."

Deidara replied with incoherent grumbles.

"Thought so."

"Well," Kakuzu finally replied, "let's just get this agony over with."

"Alright," Sasori mumbled, still a bit abash at Deidara's comment only a few minutes earlier.

"Everybody stand up! Agero kyou ichiban no jikan da! Me ni mo tomaranu, supiido hantaa. Daremo ga mina toriko kanban, yeah! (Come on!)" the group sang, the puppet man, bomber, and stitched man singing their respective parts through out the last of the song. "Everybody hands up! Matashita na hero's come back! Zujou kazoe yubi oru count down. Ikuze 3-2-1, make some noise!"

"WHOOOOOO!" a familiar, orange mask-clad shinobi cheered, his arms raised in the air and waving. "GO SEMPAAAAAAIIIII!"

"Arigatou!" Deidara couldn't help but grin, but he also felt the contradicting feeling of irritation. "And shut up, Tobi, un."

"Thank Jashin, it's finally over..." Kakuzu mumbled, about to walk away from the "stage."

"Ah ah! Not yet, Kakuzu!" Deidara grinned. "We've still got the other songs too, un!"

"You do. I don't. There is no 'we' that includes me."

"You're such a baby," the now normal, "lovable" Hidan's face twisted, a 'tsk' sound clicking from his tongue. "Anyways, what song is next?"

Itachi stood up and handed the group some slips of sheet music. "This is the next song. Sasori, your voice would best fit this one."

Sasori looked over the page, eyes widened in pure horror. "Why? Why me...?"

"I just told you."

"But why _this_ song?"

"Leader-sama picked it."

"If you don't like it," Pein interjected, sitting in a chair not too far away from the band, "then I assure you, you won't want to wake up tomorrow."

"I don't sleep," Sasori retorted.

"Then you'll find yourself sleeping eternally tonight."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me."

Finally, the ginger sighed. "Fine, I'll sing it..."

The other ginger, who was not as gingery as the other, nodded. "Good."

Akasuna no Sasori. Scorpion of the red sand. Greatest puppet master of Sunagakure...found himself standing behind a microphone as the very familiar 80's beat filled the headphones on his ears. He fought back a massive sigh of anger as he waited for his entrance. 'Why? Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this...pain?' he thought to himself. Then, it was time.

"We're no strangers to love. You know the rules, and so do I. A full commitment's what I'm thinkin' of. You wouldn't get this from any other guy."

As the red-head sang, the door on the other side of the glass slowly opened, with two girls entering the recording studio.

"Hey, Itachi!" Aina greeted, a massive grin on her face. "How goes it?"

"Pretty well, actually. I thought it was going to be more difficult to convince him to sing this."

"Wait, you actually managed to get him to do it?" After a second, the green-haired ninja bursted into laughter. "That's awesome!"

"What's happening...?" Emi, the other girl, questioned. Looking through the glass, she saw Sasori looking as irritated as ever. Then, she finally realized what the music was she heard.

"I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling; gotta make you understand."

'Did they really...?' the purple-haired girl questioned mentally. 'Did they really make him sing...this?'

"Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie, and hurt you."

The young girl's face turned a deep shade of red. She was completely lost for words. Her green-haired companion burst into louder fits of giggles as the chorus continued.

"Looks like we came at the right moment, Emi! You're probably the inspiration he needs to sing this!" Aina grinned.

"Wait, what?" she gasped. "I-I...he...we aren't..."

"Oh, come now! Look at yourself! You are so red...!" She leaned in closer, beginning to whisper. "He's probably thinking of you..."

"No! He-he doesn't want to even be in there! He looks upset."

"Well, of course he is! He thinks you aren't here!"

"You are a queen of chaos, aren't you, Aina?" Itachi asked, the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

"Teehee! Come now, we know they like each other!"

"We've known each other for so long. Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it," Sasori continued the song. "Inside we both know what's been going on. We know the game and we're gonna play it."

Emi's head began to feel light and dizzy. She found herself sitting on a small chair near her, listening to the red-head sing. He really did have a nice voice...but was he really singing to her?

"And if you ask me how I'm feeling; don't tell me you're too blind to see."

As he began singing the chorus again, Aina began chuckling again. "I like how we're being Rick-Rolled...!"

Itachi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I guess we are being Rick-Rolled, aren't we?"

"Well, I'm gonna enjoy this!" Aina began dancing to the music, grinning madly. Emi watched as her friend danced around the small recording room. "Come on, Emi! Join me!"

"I...um...sure?" the purple-blue eyed girl slowly stood up, getting the feeling Aina wasn't going to let her out of this.

"Oooh, give you up!" Aina sang, though she wasn't being recorded. Emi blinked, then remembered the part of the song.

For some strange reason, that she herself still doesn't know, she decided to sing with Aina. "Oooh, give you up!"

"Never gonna give, never gonna give."

"Oooh, give you up!"

As the song continued, the two girls danced until the end. When it was done, Aina gave the smaller girl a hug.

"Heh! We just got Rick-Rolled!"

"I guess we did." Emi smiled back.

Sasori exited the recording booth, entering the recording room. He was about to close the door, but upon seeing his small audience, he simply stared at them. His brown eyes blinked a couple times looking dead at Emi.

The purple-haired girl looked to the red-head as he entered the room. Her face quickly went red again, as did his after a moment.

"You sounded really good, Sasori!" Aina smiled to him, breaking the silence. "It sounded great!"

"Um...arigatou?" he managed.

"Well, I'm off to see what other songs we have to sing! See you all later!" the green-haired kunoichi hollered as she left the recording room. Itachi followed shortly after, saying something about needing to give the computer a few minutes to process the data.

"You...how long were you listening?" Sasori asked after a couple minutes.

"I heard-I was here for most of it," she sheepishly replied.

"Oh, well, I hope it wasn't too bad."

"No! You sounded good. You always do."

"A-arigatou..."

The kunoichi nodded back. "Douitashimashite..."

It wasn't long before the two broke into a slightly awkward silence. Sasori was just about to open his mouth to say something, only to have the slamming open of a door interrupt him.

"Alright, here's the next song!" Aina called out, holding some more sheet music in her hands. "Dei-Dei! You and I are up!"

"Huh?" the blond turned to his girlfriend, a bit baffled at first. "We are, un?"

"Yup! Here's what we're singing!"

"Oh boy..."

"I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me," Aina sang.

"I still feel your touch in my dreams..." Deidara followed.

"Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why," their voices came together simultaneously, alto and baritone meshing. "Without you, it's hard to survive."

The green-haired medic nin then continued to sing. "'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling."

"And everytime we kiss, I swear I can fly," the bomber sang. 'Wait, we haven't even kissed yet!' he thought, eye twitching slightly at how "politically incorrect" this was for their relationship.

"Can't you feel my heart beat fast?"

"I want this to last."

"Need you by my side," the two sang.

"Wow, those two sound amazing..." Emi gaped at the two with admiring awe.

Sasori replied with a bit of a scoff. "You're saying they're better?"

"Eh?" her purple-blue eyes glanced over at the red-head. His arms were crossed and his head was cocked to one side, much as if he were offended and irritated about her comment. "Danna, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he huffed stubbornly.

Emi gave him a skeptical look.

"Looks like somebody's jealous," Kisame replied with a mischievous grin.

"Am not!"

"Sasori," Emi giggled slightly, blushing. "I told you, you were good too."

"Not amazing."

"Eh.. But that's what I meant!" the girl replied frantically.

"Enough, you two," Itachi put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Sasori, don't take things so personally. You'll lose friends."

Sasori said nothing; only a blush remained on his face. Emi, on the other hand, continued to fret on the inside.

"Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky."

"They wipe away tears that I cry," the bomber suddenly frowned disapprovingly. "Wait, I don't cr-Ow!"

"The good and the bad times, we've been through them all." Aina gave him a look after having jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"You make me rise when I fall..." A whisper then escaped from his lips. "Not... GHMMHP!" His blue eyes suddenly widened in pain, trying to hold back a yell, in fear he'd have to do the whole song over again. As much as he wanted to scream, with the fact that Aina had just dug her heal into his open toes, he let his pain-filled breath puff out his cheeks before he swallowed it back just in time for the chorus.

"Are they fighting while they sing?" Kisame asked, pointing to the two slightly.

"Looks like it. They do such a good job," Itachi implied.

The puppet master's brow raised questionably. He really couldn't put his finger on how those two even got along sometimes.

"'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static."

"And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky."

"Can't you feel my heart beat so?"

"I can't let you go."

"Want you in my life," the two voices rang.

"'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling."

"And everytime we kiss, I swear I can fly."

"Can't you feel my heart beat fast?"

"I want this to last."

"Need you by my side," the two ninja finally finished, the music soon stopping after. There was a moment of silence before the two ninja stepped out of the recording room.

"What was that all about?" Aina shouted to the blond.

"What was what, un?"

"Your muttered comments, of course! You probably messed up the recording!"

"Did not, un!"

"Did too!"

"Actually," Itachi started, interrupting the argument. "I think I can work with this."

"Wait, really?" both singers questioned.

"Yeah, it won't be too hard. All I need to do is edit the recording, and we should be good. Means a little more work for me, but we're all set."

Kisame let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was concerned if we left them in there for much longer, there'd be blood."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Sasori commented, leaving the room. Emi followed behind him.

Aina and Deidara weren't too far behind them. As the two walked, there was an awkward silence that covered them.

"Deidara...?"

"Un?"

"Go-gomen nasai. I was probably a little harsh on you back there."

"No kidding, un."

"Hey!"

The blond bomber let out a laugh. "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. I'll live. Anyways, I should have left my comments unsaid."

"So...you'll forgive me?" Aina smiled.

"Only if you forgive me."

"Deal. Now, to find another song! I think I have the perfect one in mind too! OH, EMI!" the green-haired girl ran down the hallway.

"Hey, Aina! Wait up, un!"

"D-do I have to sing this?" Emi asked nervously, looking over some of the lyrics.

"Pretty please?" Aina grinned sweetly. "I know you're good at it! You've sang songs with a faster pace than this!"

"I-I don't know..."

Aina frowned slightly, only to lean in closer to her friend with a malicious smile. "It'll definitely impress Sasori, you know."

A squeak escaped the small girl's lips, hiding half of her blushing face behind the sheet music. The teal-tank-top clad kunoichi chuckled and pat the girl's back. "You'll do great!" her brown eyes shimmered at Emi.

The small medic ninja shyly nodded, realizing she wouldn't be able to get out of this and waited for her cue.

Aina went back into the recording room and sat down between her favorite terrorist bomber and the puppet master. She leaned slightly over to Sasori and nudged at him, gaining his attention. "Pay attention," she said softly with a grin. The scorpion looked through the window and blushed when he saw Emi was now about ready to start.

"T-test, test, test, test," Emi said through the microphones. "Hello? Are we ready to go here?" She cleared her throat. "May I have your attention, please?"

"What?" Hidan called out with a grin.

"May I have your attention, please?"

"Yeah!"

"Will the real Sugar Baby please speak up?" Emi gave a 'tsk.' "We're gonna have a problem here! Y'all act like you've never seen a little white girl before, jaws all on the floor, acting like you can buy me from a sugar store."

"Cha-ching!"

A frown appeared on Sasori's face. His brown eyes narrowed venomously at the Jashinist. How dare he say that about Emi!

"Cruising the halls, you must be looking for more, 'cause I'm bigger than that, and I won't be stuck on the floor. Ha ha-ha ha-ha ha!"

"What you laughing at?" Hidan grinned, trying not to chuckle.

"You're all talking like, oh, wait, no way! You're kidding! She didn't sound like I thought she did, did she?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Hey, hey, hey, where's Sugar?"

"Where you at?" asked the silver-haired man.

"I'm right here! Sleeping in Mocha's pocket! Tee hee!" At this point, Sasori was confused, trying to figure out who could fit into this "Mocha's" pocket, let alone Emi. "Sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar baby, sugar baby!" Suddenly, the lavender-haired, naive little girl started to pick up the pace a little, starting to get into the song. "I'm Sugar Baby, the _real_ Sugar Baby, all you other sugar babies are just imitating, so won't the real Sugar Baby please jump up, please jump up, please jump up. 'Cause I'm Sugar Baby, the _real_ Sugar Baby, all you other sugar babies are just imitating, so won't the real Sugar Baby please jump up, please jump up, please jump up!"

Everyone on the other side of the glass, with the exception of Aina, watched, completely baffled. Was their little, innocent Emi _really_ rapping?

"Look at her walking around, with her own crew, Mad Dog and Billy and Mocha too! She's so d-dang short though!" Emi stuttered slightly, seeing a word she preferred not to use.

Hidan blinked, totally heart-broken. He had hoped to hear her slip. "WHAT?"

"Yeah..."

"That's my girl, yo!" Kisame shouted loud enough for the mic to somehow pick his voice up through the glass.

"And there's a million of us, just like me, fuss like me, just don't give a f- AH! WAIT, I'D NEVER SAY THAT!" Emi yelled in legitimate surprise. Sasori's face went a bit pale. Who in their right mind would put his dear Emi in such a situation...?

"Sugar!" Hidan yelled, getting her attention back to the rap.

"D-dress like me, walk like me, have hair like me. And might just be the next best thing, but not quite me!" Emi felt she could stumble again at any given moment now. That was the second time she came across a word she didn't like to say, and only hoped that was the last she'd see of those words. She continued the song with the chorus and, with some relief, finally reached the end."Oh, and could the rest of you please lie down, 'cause, I can't see anything. Thanks!" she chirped after giving a sheepish chuckle. "Sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar-sugar baby, sugar baby!"

After the songs conclusion, Emi and Hidan stepped out of the recording booth. The girl's face was bright red as she saw how many people had been listening to her recording.

"Wow, that sounded awesome, Emi!" Aina cheered, running up to her.

"Do you really think so?"

"Well, of course I do! I picked that song with you in mind!"

"Wait..." the red-headed puppet master stood up, walking over to the two girls. "YOU were the one who picked that song?"

"Well, yeah. It fits her well, don't you think?"

"Are you trying to corrupt her?" he shouted at the green-haired kunoichi.

"Whoa, what's gotten into you?"

"If you picked that song out with her in mind, you _must_ have known there were such words in it! It would taint Emi's pure image to say such words, even in song! What were you thinking?"

"Take a chill-pill, man. It's fine. She managed to catch it in time and correct it. And the first time, she was supposed to not say it, it's in the lyrics."

"But you're still owning up to the second time!"

Aina let out a huff. "Well, EXCUSE me, Sasori. I didn't realize one little word would 'taint' you're precious little Emi."

"I swear, Aina..." the scorpion started, preparing a fist for a punch. "I'm gonna-"

"No, Sasori no Danna, un!" Deidara leapt behind the puppet master, grabbing his arms from behind.

"You heard what she about made Emi do!"

"I know, but please don't kill her, un! I kinda like her alive!"

"Maybe I'll just turn her into a puppet, then!"

"NO!" both Aina and Deidara shouted together.

"Please, guys!" the young violet-haired girl shouted. "Everything's fine! I didn't swear, so there's no reason to hurt anyone!"

The others stared at her while she began to breathe heavy from shouting.

"Fine, I suppose you are spared today," Sasori muttered, getting out of Deidara's grip to head out of the room.

"Sasori no Danna..." Emi followed after him.

"Wow, that was...interesting, un."

"I don't think I've ever seen him get mad at me before," Aina pondered.

Hidan began to giggle to himself. "Dude, I was sure he was going to rip me apart for singing with his girlfriend!"

_Whip! Shhnk!_

"Gah! DANG NABBIT, PUPPET BOY!" Hidan shouted after his head crashed to the floor with a thud. "I SAW THAT JASHIN-FORSAKEN COIL OF YOURS! THAT FRICKIN' HURT! HOW DID YOU EVEN HEAR ME ANYWAYS?"

"Your fault for reminding him," Kisame shrugged with the rest of the group.

Itachi sighed. "And now we have to get Sasori and Kakuzu to come back for the last song... and to fix Hidan."

"Meh, Emi will take care of Danna, un," the blond bomber shrugged nonchalantly. "As for Kakuzu... Dunno if he'll even waste his time."

"Well, that's just great!" the Jashinist huffed. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd _like_ to have my head back on!"

"Yes, yes, we'll go see to it, un," Deidara replied half-heartedly.

"Tobi, please get Kakuzu." Pein's Rinnegan eyes glanced at the childish man.

Said man saluted to his leader. "Tobi will get Kakuzu, even if he _is_ creepy! Tobi is a good boy!" And with that, he skipped out of the room to get said old man.

"Alright, everyone! Last song!" Kisame called out to everyone in the area. "We're going to need all the pretty boys for this one!"

Silence commenced as the members just stared at the shark man awkwardly.

"Yes, he means you, you, you, and you," Aina implied as she pointed to the puppet master, the bombing artist, the religious freak, and the Sharingan user.

"YOSH!" Hidan cheered, his head now back on his shoulders as he threw his arms up in much rejoicing. "I count as a pretty boy! I probably have fan-girls!"

"Pretty boys?" Deidara exclaimed. "Excuse me, but I am NOT a pretty boy! I'm manly, un!"

"You look pretty enough to me, Sempai~!" Tobi chirped.

"DAMARE, BAKA, UN!"

"Ok, ok, that's enough," Konan, now having joined the fray put herself between the two men. "Calm yourselves."

"Why do I have to be a part of this?" Sasori asked, obviously unamused. "I shouldn't count as a pretty boy..."

"I think they say you are because you look young, Danna," Emi smiled sweetly to said ginger.

"Oh... I suppose so..."

Kisame grinned. "That's right, so get your butts into this room!" He pointed to a door right across from the room they were in.

"Why, un?"

"It's a surprise!"

"Uh... I don't think I'm gonna like this surprise... un..." Deidara watched the blue-skinned man and the door suspiciously.

"Oh, just get in!" said shark-man pushed the blond and the red-head into the dark room. He then looked at Itachi, who just stood there motionlessly. He could tell that the weasel wasn't in the slightest willing to sacrifice his beauty to a surprise as fishy as this.

"I'm not going to partake of this," Itachi started.

"Sorry man, I'd take your place, but I'm a freak of nature," Kisame grinned a toothy grin to his companion. "Can you take one for the team?"

A soft sigh escaped Itachi's barely parted lips. "...I suppose I could..."

"Great!" The raven-haired man followed in the footsteps of the other two before him and entered the room. The wonderful freak of nature then turned to the girls. "You girlies go in too!"

"Huh?" Emi blinked in utter confusion.

"Ok!" Aina grinned and skipped along inside, pulling Emi with her.

Grin still plastered on Kisame's face, he then turned to face Konan. "Hey, Konan, would you... Konan?" He blinked, seeing that she suddenly was nowhere to be found. A paper was left on the floor. Picking it up, the shark-man read it.

"'Gomen, Pein-sama wanted me to sit next to him. -Konan.' Really Konan? Really?"

"I said 'sorry,'" the blue-haired woman replied, very well sitting next to said leader.

"Then who'll take your place?" he pondered. "It'll look weird without an odd number..."

"Tobi will take Konan-sama's place!" Tobi chimed, jumping with excitement.

"Um... ok?" Kisame would have questioned this predicament further, but he decided against it, letting the masked man into the same room as the others. He then turned to the remaining members. "Kakuzu, Zetsu, you two will be back up singers with me."

"Alright," Zetsu solemnly replied.

Kakuzu, on the other hand, growled. "In you're lifetime."

"Yes, it _is_ in my lifetime, as a matter of fact," the shark smirked smugly. "Just come on. We're doing this for you, 'Kuzu."

The stitched man growled again, but complied, sick of trying to fight back. "Fine..."

Kisame nodded, following him, but stopped before he reached the door. "Konan, Leader-sama, could you two work the equipment?"

"Yes, we can," Konan replied, getting up to do so.

A big smile lit up the man's features. "Thanks!"

Suddenly, the lights turned on. They found themselves in a chroma key green room. They were arranged in two rows. Row one, in the front, consisted of the 'pretty boys:' Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, and Itachi. The second row consisted of the others, who were back-up singers/dancers. Kakuzu, Aina, Tobi, Emi, Zetsu, and Kisame.

"Wha...?" Deidara started to say, in a baffled awe.

"What kind of room is this?" Sasori asked suspiciously.

The shark grinned. "It's called a green room."

"I knew that!" the puppet master snapped.

"Did you, now...?"

"Oh, I heard of these!" Aina beamed in interest. "I had a friend who was into films, so he had his room painted this color!"

The blond looked at her incredulously. "Seriously... Where do you get all these friends, un...?"

"I dunno, they just kinda come, I s'pose!"

"It's because of her magnetic personality," Itachi chuckled.

Deidara, on the other hand, seemed skeptical. "Riiight..."

"I'm a magnet!" Aina cheered. "Oh! I could be like the pokemon, Magneton!"

Emi giggled. "You could! I guess that means Deidara is an explosion-type pokemon!"

"Is there even such a thing...?" Deidara pondered.

"There is!" Aina chirped. "ELECTRODE!"

"Yeah!" Emi beamed.

"Great..." Deidara sighed. "First I'm a pretty boy, now I'm an exploding pokeball..."

The two girls giggled. "That's right! And I know just who everyone else could be too!" stated a proud Aina. "You see, Zetsu would be-"

"Alright, we'll talk pokemon later," Pein's voice suddenly said. "Let's get this started."

"Yes, sir!" Everyone suddenly calmed down and settled their eyes on what was in front of them, waiting for the music to start. Pein nodded to Konan, giving her the cue to start the music.

"Everybody..." Itachi started.

"Rock your body..." the bomber followed up.

"Everybody, rock your body right..." Sasori sang, followed up by the previous two: "Aka-tsuki's-back-"

"ALRIGHT!" Hidan nearly shouted, a little louder than the other three as he made the most humorous face to go with it.

As the music started to play, Aina, Tobi and Kisame began to dance along with Hidan. The others began to watch the four dance, and soon some others began to dance. Kakuzu stood in the back corner, eventually being the only member not partaking. Aina, noticing this, proceeded to dance next to him, nudging him roughly. Getting the hint, he raised his hands, flailing them half-heartedly.

Itachi and Hidan started the song in a duet. "Oh, my Jashin, we're back again. Brothers, sisters, everybody sing!"

"Gonna bring the flavor, show you how," Deidara and Sasori continued. "Got a question for you, better answer now!"

"Am I original?" Hidan asked, the back-up singers responding with a "Yeah~"

"Am I the only one?" Itachi also asked, the same response from the others being sung.

Sasori was up next. "Am I sexual?" 'Wait, did I _really _have to sing that?' the red-head thought as he sung the words. Emi was at a loss for words as the other back-up singers continued their part.

"Am I everything you need," Deidara finished, "you better rock your body now!"

The front and back lines continued to sing as the main chorus began again. Everyone was quick to realize the obvious embarrassment that Sasori and Emi held after his solo line. But, this was a show, and the show must go on! So, they continued to dance and sing anyways, regardless the lyric choices.

"Now, throw your hands up in the air!" Hidan practically shouted as opposed to sing.

"Wave them around like you just don't care," the raven-haired man continued.

"If you want to party," the scorpion sang next, "let me hear you yell."

"Cuz we got it goin' on again!" the blond bomber jumped up excitedly.

They then went back into the call and response section. Sasori still wanted to skip his line, but kept it in for the sake of not having Pein-sama upset at him. He was quite fond of not needing sleep, and the threat of sleep worked. The main chorus found itself again in the music, followed by a quiet section.

"Everybody, everywhere," Sasori started.

"Don't be afraid, don't have no fear," Deidara grinned, raising his hand in front of him, showing the mouths on them.

"I'm gonna tell the world, make them understand."

Hidan smirked, ready to finish the song. "As long as there'll be music, we'll be comin' back again!"

The music crescendoed back into a final round of the main chorus, ending the song. There was an awkward silence for roughly ten seconds before Aina let out a loud cheer, quickly joined by Hidan. The others quickly grew smiles as they realized the nightmare of an Akatsuki band was over.

"That was amazingly fun!" Aina laughed.

Deidara couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, it _was_ kinda fun, wasn't it, un?"

"It was fairly amusing," Itachi followed up with a chuckle.

"I never want to sing those blasted songs again..." a certain ginger's head was down, his face a bit red; his tone was obviously irritated. 'Especially if it has a line asking if I'm sexual... What kind of person even asks that sort of thing?'

"Ah, come on, Sasori no Danna," the blond grinned, putting an arm around his master. "It was all for fun and to make Kakuzu happy about the money he lost, un."

"I would never sing silly songs for such stupid reasons."

"Even if it was for Emi?" a grin plastered Deidara's face as he whispered those words into his Danna's ear. A massive blush formed on the puppet master's face, followed up by a back-fist punch in the face. "GAH! DANNA, THAT HURT, UN!" the blond stepped back, holding his nose in pain.

"You dug your own grave," Sasori glared, walking out of the room, red-faced.

Emi blinked in worry and quickly followed him. "Ah, Sasori no Danna...!"

"Nice going, Dei-Dei," Aina chuckled, handing her boyfriend a handkerchief. He took it, holding it to his now bloody nose.

"Thanks..." he replied, his words muffled.

Kisame grinned. "Well, good job everyone! Thanks for participating!"

"Yes, thank you for participating," Pein said over the mic. "Now we can see how much we can sell and save up some more money, for partially Kakuzu's sanity... And partially for that bathroom rug that I never got..."

"He's still going after that stupid rug?" Kakuzu gnashed his teeth, trying to resist from shouting.

"Do you have a problem with that?" the leader asked, staring menacingly emotionless at the stitched man.

"Er.. no..."

"Good. You're all dismissed."

"So, did you ever figure out why Aina chose that song for you?" Sasori asked Emi as he worked on another one of his puppet projects, she, sitting on his bed and drinking some herbal tea.

"Oh, yeah, I did," Emi replied, smiling sheepishly.

He looked up from his project, his eyes on her. "What would it be then?"

"Uh, well..."

"Is it because you're sweet?"

"That's part of the reason, she said..."

"A smart alec?"

"N-not exactly..."

The red-head sat there thoughtfully for a moment, thinking deeply. There had to be something else. "...It's because you're short, isn't it."

"Yeah..." she admitted in defeat.

The scorpion couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he went back to work. 'Short is cute...' was the thought that ran across his mind.

AN: Well, I hope a nice big chapter like that will make up for our absence as of late. I suppose I should warn all of you now that our updates will be more sporadic. Sakura is heading off to college finally, and she'll be in a different time-zone than me, Nino, for it. Because of this, there is a two hour difference between us, making it harder to coordinate for writing. But do not fear, WE ARE STILL WRITING THIS STORY! :D More shenanigans and hi-jinx are coming to you all very soon!

~Nino and Sakura!


	18. The Problem With Ramen Is

AN: Hey guys! Here we are with chapter 17! Whoohoo! That is a lot of chapters and a lot of writing! But fear not, for we are still no where near done yet! In fact, I think we've come up with enough new ideas to say we are now further away from the end than we were last time we posted a chapter...o.O Oh well! Just means more awesomeness for you all! So, I'll let you get going on reading this now...enough chatter from me!

Chapter 17: The Problem With Ramen Is...

It was a fairly quiet day in the hidden Akatsuki headquarters. Our ever-so-loved ex-terrorist bomber, Deidara, sat on his bed with his chin resting on his knee. His face was completely blanked, too focused on skillfully painting the hue of black nail polish onto his toenails. He was just about done with his pinkie-toe, when-

_Slam!_

"Deidara! Deidara!" Aina yelled at the top of her lungs before proceeding to rush in and jump to the spot next to him.

"Agh! Aina!" the young man scowled, he glanced at his toe to see that the black polish had smeared onto his skin, the bottle of said polish tipped over and dripping lightly onto his blankets.

"Tee hee! Gomen, Dei!" she giggled, grabbing the paper towel he had been using to wipe up the mess.

The bomber sighed, irritated at the sight of his Akatsuki red blanket being painted. "Great, now the stain will _never_ come off, un!"

"Gomen," Aina said again and smiled, sticking her tongue out at him. "At least the black would add character to it now!"

"Don't make me give you a wet willy, un..."

"Ew!" she cringed. "No, thank you!"

"As punishment, you can brush my hair, un."

The green-haired girl blinked. "Oh, that is _such_ a ferocious punishment..." she replied sarcastically as she grabbed at his hair brush.

"Anyways," he sighed, trying to get his mind off of his now ruined blanket, "did you need something?"

"Yes, actually." The kunoichi untied her boyfriend's hair poof and started to graze the bristled brush over his sunshine blond hair. "I had this great idea, and I need someone to help me with taking action in it."

"Hm?" Deidara's brow raised slightly. "What kind of 'great idea?'"

"Well, you see," she started, "we all know that Sasori likes Emi, right?"

"Right..."

"And that Emi likes Sasori..."

"Un..."

"So, I figured, because we _all_ know they're too darn shy to do anything, we could give them a little _push_..."

The bombing artist's ears then seemed to perk up as he suddenly gained an interest in the current topic. "I'm listening..."

Aina grinned, snickering as she started braiding said artist's hair. "How about you and me try to get the two together? _Closer_ together...?"

Deidara turned, a mischievous grin on his face. "We're gonna die in the end... but I am _so_ for it, un!"

His girlfriend's grin grew. "Good! Hopefully, by the end of it all, they'll be tied in a knot," she mused as she tied the end of Deidara's braid with a pony-tail holder.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Sasori began to sift through the morning paper. He pulled out the stock market pages for Kakuzu, then proceeded to read the other stories. As he read, the door to the kitchen slowly opened.

"Emi," he started, looking up from the paper.

Emi fought back a yawn. "Good morning, Sasori no Danna," she smiled to him.

The scorpion let out a small chuckle. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Pretty good, I'm just not sure I wanted to wake up this morning, for some reason." Emi reached into one of the cabinets to pull out a box of Cheerios.

"Yeah, I can imagine some mornings are harder than others."

The two sat in a comfortable silence as Emi ate and Sasori read. The two would occasionally glance at the other, but only when the other wasn't looking.

"GOOD MORNING!" Aina's voice boomed into the kitchen along with the crashing of the door. Shortly behind her was the blond bomber.

"Goodness, can you be loud in the morning," the red-head pondered aloud to himself.

Emi chuckled at his comment. "Good morning to you too, Aina. What are you so exited about today?"

"Well, you see: Deidara's taking me to a small park with koi fish today!"

"What's the occasion?" Sasori asked.

"Occasion? There's no occasion. I just wanna go!"

Emi smiled to the couple. "Well, I think that sounds like a lot of fun."

"You know, Emi, Deidara and I really wouldn't mind if you and Sasori came along!" The green-haired kunoichi winked at the younger medic.

"That would be fun."

Sasori gave her a warm smile. "Would you like to go, Emi?"

"Would you come with us?"

"If you'd like me to."

"What time are you leaving?"

"Whenever, really. After you've eaten, we can go, un."

"Sure, let's meet back in here in twenty minutes then!" Aina cheerfully skipped off to who-knows-where, with Deidara once again shortly behind her.

Emi went back to eating her Cheerios while Sasori turned the page in the news paper he was reading.

"Domo arigatou, Sasori no Danna."

He pulled the paper down to see Emi's smile, which he gladly returned. "Doitashimashite."

The four had made their way to said destination after breakfast. It wasn't long before they could all see small ponds, waterfalls, and streams, decorated by cherry and maple trees, and oriental bridges and archways.

"Ah! This is wonderful!" Emi beamed at the peaceful-looking park. "It's so pretty here!"

"Tee hee! Told you, you'd like it!" Aina chimed. "Come on! Let's look at the koi fish!"

The two girls ran over to the edge of a nearby pond and sat on their hands and knees, leaning in to look at the many array of white, orange, and red koi. The two men followed up behind, enjoying the view.

"This isn't so bad, un," the blue-eyed blond smiled.

The scorpion chuckled slightly in turn. "Whoever said it was?"

A pause came from the two of them. "So, Danna, do you like koi fish, un?"

"Hm?" the red-head looked at his companion. "What kind of question is that?"

"A stupid one. Would you like to answer anyways, un?"

"Well... I wouldn't really know," he answered as the two walked. "I've never really paid much attention."

"Oh?" Deidara smiled genuinely, shifting over towards Sasori slightly. "You should take a look, they're pretty cool when you get a good look at them, un!"

"You think so, hm?"

"I do!" he replied, shifting closer yet.

"Hm..." the ginger looked at the pond ahead of him thoughtfully as they got closer. Though, one thing he noticed was that the blond was getting oddly closer to him with each and every step...

"Do you think there are other colored koi, Aina?" Emi pondered as the two stared into the water.

"I'm sure there are!" respective girl chirped, glancing at her friend. "I've heard that there are yellow, and blue, and purple... and green!"

"Wow!" Emi's eyes sparked at her sempai in bewilderment. "So many colors! Do you think they have pink ones?"

"I'm sure they do!" the elder kunoichi glanced over her shoulder to see Sasori and Deidara approaching the two, getting closer. The girl smirked to herself. "They probably have black ones too," she continued, starting to scoot closer to the younger. "Maybe even rainbow ones!"

Emi laughed, not noticing her friend getting as close as she was. "One would wonder!"

Aina once again moved a bit closer, seeing that the other two had made it to the pond. "Oh, look at that little one right there! It's so cute!"

Noticing the closeness this time, Aina having made it a bit more obvious, Emi moved over a little and looked where she pointed. "Oh, you're right! It's so small!"

Deidara and Sasori approached the two girls, sitting next to them. As they watched the fish, Deidara and Aina slowly began to shift towards the center of the group. Sasori and Emi, being sandwiched between the two, slowly got closer to each other so as to avoid being to close to the others.

"I really like seeing the koi fish!" Aina grinned, speaking to no one in particular.

"Me too, they're pretty cool, un."

Emi smiled, though there was a slight nervousness she couldn't hide. "They are really pretty. It's amazing all the colors they can come in."

"They are interesting," the scorpion commented. His voice was laced with skepticism as he shot a glance at Deidara. The blond pretended to not notice the glare, and continued to look into the water.

"Oh, that one's pretty too!" The green-haired kunoichi shouted, pointing to a fish just in front of Sasori.

As she leaned to point to the fish, she began to loose her balance. She let a small cry escape as she attempted to keep upright, but to no avail. She fell onto Emi, who fell onto Sasori, who was about to fall onto Deidara, but the blond was quick enough to move out of the way.

The green-haired girl, being on top, quickly moved off of the other two. Sasori and Emi stayed as they were for a moment. Both were completely shocked as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I-I didn't...um..."

"It's fine," Sasori spoke up for the small girl. He gently grabbed at her shoulders and propped her back up, allowing him to get up. "I'll live."

"But still-"

"It's ok," he assured her. Quickly, he looked at Deidara and Aina, who both shrugged. 'We didn't do it!' they looked to be saying to him. Not wanting to cause a scene, Sasori decided to brush off the incident.

"So, maybe we can think about lunch soon here," Aina suggested. "I think I'm getting a little hungry."

"Now that you mention it, I am too, un."

"Let's get some food then!" she exclaimed, heading off. Emi and Deidara quickly followed the energetic girl, Sasori being behind everyone. Something seemed strange about today...he just couldn't place a finger on it just yet...

"So what are we gonna eat, un?" Deidara asked as the group walked along the streets of Amekagure. For once, it wasn't raining, but it wasn't much with the fact it was still cloudy. Sunlight barely shown through the thick, grey puffballs.

"What would you like to eat, Dei-Dei?" Aina glanced over, giving him a knowing smile.

"Bakudan, un."

"Errnt! Wrong answer!"

"But I like Bakudan!" he whined.

The elder medic grinned, chuckling lightly. "And I don't like fish!"

"So?" the blond frowned. "You can just order something else, un!"

"But then I can't eat off your plate..."

"Don't even, Aina!"

Sasori sighed, irritation laced within the breath. "Then get something everyone likes, baka."

Emi looked up at the two. "Well, how about-"

"Why, you gonna steal off my plate too, Danna?" the bomber fumed.

"I can't eat, baka..."

"Maybe we can-"

"So what? You'd still take it anyways, just to torture me, un!"

The puppeteer rolled his eyes. "Torturing you is probably the best way to shut you up, brat..."

"Er..."

"Like heck it does!"

"BOTH OF YOU!" Suddenly, the bickering old "couple" turned in surprise to realize that Emi had once again blew a circuit. She turned red from another outcome of embarrassment before continuing. "How about we all just get some ramen?" the younger suggested, her voice back to her original tone.

"I like ramen!" Aina grinned, unphased by her friend's outburst yet again.

"I... guess that will do..." Sasori struggled to say. "Not that I'd be eating it anyways..."

"Deidara?" the green-haired kunoichi turned to her boyfriend.

He replied with a stutter, "S-sure... I can do ramen... un..."

"Great!" the girl grinned. "Let's go!"

"Mmm!" Aina smiled as she entered the small ramen shop. The scent of ramen filled the shop with strong flavors of deliciousness. The others weren't far behind her as she took a seat at the counter.

"Hello and welcome. How can I-" as the worker turned around to face them, his eyes fell to Aina's. "...help you? You're the girl from the hanabi matsuri!"

"Huh? Wha...oh, no..." her brown eyes widened in recognition. His voice had seemed familiar, but now that he was looking right at her..."You-you're the...dango boy!"

"The who?" Emi asked, tilting her head to the side.

The puppeteer raised an eyebrow. "Do we know him?"

"You...!" Deidara growled between his teeth. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I work here. The matsuris' are some of my part-time jobs."

"I'm confused...how do we know this guy?" Sasori asked.

"Do you remember the guy who hit on me at the matsuri?"

The red-head looked over at the green-haired girl. "This is the guy?"

"Yeah..."

"You _do _know I can hear everything you're saying about me, right?" the dango boy stated.

"Oh, um...well, it's all true..." Aina blushed.

"Maybe, but I never did get an answer to my question last time..."

"Last time...?"

"Yeah, you never told me your name."

"She doesn't need to tell you her name, un!"

"No, I suppose not, but I'm Susumu. May I have the honor of your name?"

"You don't have that honor, un!" Deidara growled, only to receive a smack across the head from a wooden hand. "OUCH!"

"She'll tell him if she wants to," the scorpion implied.

"Ah, well..." the medical kunoichi started, trying not to fidget slightly. She wasn't sure if telling this 'Susumu' her name was a smart idea, but then etiquette got in the way. "I'm... Aina..."

The boy grinned, his brown hair moving with his shifting head. "Beautiful name! It's _definitely_ an honor meeting you, Aina-chan."

A snap was suddenly heard and all eyes turned to the blond bomber. Surely enough, nothing snapped physically... but emotionally...

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL HER AS IF YOU WERE CLOSE TO HER!" he barked. "STAY AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND, UN!"

Another smack came from the puppeteer, this time, face first rather than from the back of the head. "Quiet down, you brat, you'll get us kicked out."

"But, Danna...!"

"I'll have your butt, if you don't shut up," the scorpion retorted, glaring.

"Your girlfriend, huh?" Susumu blinked. "Is that true, Aina-chan?"

"It _is_," she confirmed. "We got together at the matsuri."

"Huh..." He sat there, thoughtfully, for a moment. Finally, he just smiled sweetly. "Well then, I suppose I should let you lot order now, hm?"

"Yeah, that would be nice," Sasori replied as he took a seat next to Emi, Deidara finally calming down enough to sit next to the eldest of the two girls.

"What would you like then?"

"I don't eat," the red-head implied.

Susumu gave him a weird look. "You don't? You anorexic or something?"

"I have no need to eat," Sasori continued. "I'm a puppet."

"Uuuhhh..."

"I'll have some chicken ramen, please," Emi smiled timidly, trying to distract the waiter from questioning her Danna any further.

"Oh, um, ok," he blinked, snapping out of his disbelief and writing down the order. "How about you, Blondie?"

A growl came from deep beneath the artist's throat, his teeth gritting together tightly, trying with all he had to hold it back. "Miso ramen, un..."

"And I'll have shoyu ramen!" Aina chimed in. Susumu looked over and grinned his best grin for her. "Anything for you, Beautiful."

Another snap came from Deidara as he was just about to pounce at the boy, but he walked away whilst the puppeteer conked him once again on the head, forcing him to sit down. "Not today, brat."

"Fine, un..." the blond pouted.

Things were silent for the next little bit as Susumu prepared their meals. Deidara made a point of scooting his chair closer to Aina's while Sasori and Emi watched the blond's facial expressions. Emi was worried he would have yet another outburst, and Sasori wondered when he'd need to get up to keep him in check...again.

"Here we are!" Susumu called smiling as he brought out the three bowls of ramen. "Chicken for the young lady, Miso for the explosive baka, and Shoyu ramen for the gorgeous one."

"Hey, only I get to call her gorgeous, un!"

"I wonder if he noticed the 'explosive baka' part..." the red-head pondered out loud.

"What's wrong with complimenting a woman, baka?"

"The fact she's mine, un!"

"I don't think he does..." Emi spoke before taking her first bite.

"That shouldn't mean I can't compliment her."

"Well, I say you can't, so don't, un!"

"Deidara!" Aina shouted, grabbing both men's attention. "Thank you, Susumu, for the compliment, though I have Deidara to tell me that every morning. And you, mister...I would like to eat my ramen without someone shouting in my ear, considering how close you're sitting next to me."

"Yes, ma'am..." the blond grumbled, stuffing his face with ramen.

"I suppose I'll leave you to eat, beautiful."

Aina threw her arm out in front of Deidara before he could pounce at Susumu. "Thanks, that would probably be best."

With a nod, Susumu gave her a smile and a wink before heading off to take the next order. The bomber just sat there, desperately trying to resist blowing the boy up with his clay as the others started eating quietly.

After what seemed like centuries of shooting glares at the ex-terrorist's new-found enemy, Deidara was finally nudged by his medic girlfriend's arm, breaking the death glare he held.

"Deidara," Aina started, "if you keep glaring like that, your face will stay like that for the rest of your life."

"Will not, un."

"Sure." She finished up the broth, drinking it from the bowl.

"So you're saying you're only glaring because you want to," Sasori added skeptically, partially teasing. "Not because you're jealous."

"That's right, un."

"Then, may I ask, what or who is it you're glaring at?" the scorpion gave a smug smirk to his companion.

"What do you think, Danna?" Deidara's eyelids lowered halfway, partially unamused.

"So, you're jealous."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not, un."

"Are too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Not!"

"Guys!" Emi patted the puppeteer's shoulder, motioning that they're still in a public area and shouldn't cause a scene.

"Anyways," the green-haired tomboy shrugged, "Dei-Dei, you shouldn't be so jealous. Susumu isn't my type."

"You sure blushed when he called you beautiful, un."

"Well, I-blushing doesn't mean anything!"

"Most of the time, it does!"

Aina frowned. "He caught me off guard. It's only human to blush when one's embarrassed."

"Still, un!"

"Here's the bill," a voice sounded, followed by a hand setting down a receipt for all to see. It was Susumu. His hazel eyes seeming to sparkle as they glanced at a certain kunoichi. "I hope you found everything suited to your tastes."

"O-oh," Aina's brown eyes blinked in slight surprise. "Yes, it was very good. Thank you."

He returned her comment with a smile. "I'm glad! And I'm sure you all enjoyed it too, right?" The brunette gave a short glance to the others.

"It was delicious," Emi nodded with a small smile. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"I'll take Emi's word for it," Sasori added, causing Susumu to seem slightly confused.

"Oh, that's right," his light brown eyes blinked. "You can't eat."

The puppeteer replied silently with a short nod.

"How about you, Blondie?"

"It was good," the blond grumbled, "'till you appeared..."

"Deidara!" Aina shouted, slightly pouting. "That's not very nice to say."

"What, you're defending him now, un?"

"Just because he's a little bit of a creeper, doesn't mean we can't show him respect!"

"Ouch," Susumu exclaimed.

"I feel like that's somehow a contradiction," Sasori pondered, waiting for the scene to unfold.

"So, you're gonna let him behave like this to you? In front of me, un?"

"I'd rather it be in front of you, so you know I'm distasteful of it!"

"It's definitely a contradiction, Danna," Emi spoke to the puppeteer.

"Wow, can the two of you ever be hot-headed," the ramen worker spoke up, gaining the attention of the bickering couple.

Deidara's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, you haven't seen me at my worst yet..."

"And he sure as heck won't! Come on, Dei. We don't need to waste our time here." The green-haired ninja grabbed at the other's arm, pulling him up from his chair. The two started for the door, leaving Emi and Sasori at the table.

"Please don't go yet, Aina!" Susumu shouted to them. "I have yet to have professed my love to you officially!"

Deidara stopped dead in his tracks, pulling at Aina who attempted to keep walking. "Who...do you think you ARE?"

"The name's Susumu. That's who I am."

"Why you little smart-alecy, dumb-"

"DEIDARA!" Aina screamed. The piercing pitch of her voice sent hands to ears as she reached for Deidara's arm again. "I have had enough of this foolishness! We are going...NOW!"

The blond's eyes were wide as he looked at his girlfriend. She was never the most quiet individual, but never had he heard her scream, either. "Yes, ma'am..." he whispered, unable to work up any more volume in his voice.

As she shoved him out the door, she gave one last look at Susumu. "Any you...if you EVER try to pull anything on me again...I may just sick my boyfriend on you!"

Susumu simply looked at her for a moment, before his lips curled into a grin. "I'd like to see him try."

"I think now is a fantastic time to leave, wouldn't you say so, Emi?" Sasori spoke up before any one else could add to the heated argument.

"I think that is a wonderful idea, Sasori no Danna."

The scorpion quickly reached for her hand, dragging her gently to the entrance of the shop. He proceeded to shove Aina and Deidara out before either could enter again, and directed them towards home.

Susumu watched as the group left, a smile still on his face. He couldn't help but chuckle after a moment. "Don't you worry, Aina... I won't cause any trouble for you... You'll be mine before you and that Blondie know it."

"Hey, Susumu, little help here!" another worker, a rank above said boy, called from the back of the ramen shop.

"Ah, be right there!" The brunette turned, grabbing the empty bowls of ramen and turned to leave, only to stop short. He looked back at the counter, seeing the bill he gave them, but... "Crap!" he gasped. "They-they didn't pay!"

Back at the hideout, Deidara sat cross-legged on his bed as he kneaded some clay within his fist. He had been thinking of his behavior just earlier that day, fuming silently.

"I swear I'm gonna get him next time, un," he muttered as he made a small clay insect-like bird, let it fly, and then had it explode. "That brat deserves it..."

"He deserves it," a voice rang evenly. Blue eyes turned to see familiar brown ones. "But that's also pushing it a bit too far. He'd only really deserve it if he actually made a harmful attempt, I suppose."

The blond frowned. "Aina, he was _hitting_ on you. Isn't that harmful enough?"

Aina couldn't help but snicker. "D'aww, you're so caring, Dei."

"I'm serious, un!"

"But it was a good pun!"

"No pun intended..." he replied, giving her a small, bemused smirk. He really only half intended it, but he wasn't about to admit _that_ to his girlfriend. The bomber _did care_ after all.

But the medic knew better and grinned. "Well, even if it was a stupid way to try to take care of things," she started, referring to the incident, "I'd appreciate it far more if you tried to be a little mature about setting him straight."

Deidara replied with a 'pfft.' "I _am_ mature, un."

"Sure, you are," the young woman giggled.

"I am!"

"Never in your lifetime," a new voice intervened. It was none other than Sasori, with the violet-haired girl right behind him.

"Danna!"

"Brat."

Emi chuckled. "Danna, please be nice."

"Yeah, Danna, un!"

"Why should I be nice to a brat who dug his own grave? He didn't even pay the bill."

"Huh?" the younger girl seemed to be shocked. "We-we never paid?"

"Not we. _They_. As in Aina and Deidara."

The bomber scoffed in turn. "Who cares? If what's-his-face gets in trouble for it, it's fine with me, un!"

"Don't you mean _you'll_ get in trouble for it?"

"You mean _we_," Aina implied. "It's our fault for not paying, but it'd be his for not making sure we did so."

"We should pay what we owe!" Emi fretted, turning to leave. "I'll go back and pay him..."

The puppet master quickly stopped her with a firm, but gentle hand over her head. "Don't fret over it. Let Deidara and Aina take care of it. They're the one's who invited us to go out with them after all."

Aina smiled to reassure the younger. "Yeah, it's kind of our fault. We'll take care of it."

"Oh... ok."

"How about we go watch some T.V., Emi?" Sasori suggested, placing a hand on her back to lead her away. She nodded in turn.

Deidara, unamused, sighed and looked at his girlfriend once they were out of ear shot. "Do we _really_ have to go back there and pay?"

"Well, it would be the right thing to do," Aina answered, a sly smile grew on her face as she turned to the blond. "But when it concerns Susumu, that's no fun at all."

The bombing artisan's eyes blinked in slight disbelief, only to have a smile of his own grow on his face.

"Aina, have I ever told you just how much I love you, un?"

AN: OH SNAP! The dango boy makes his epic return! And with a name, no less! *Le gasp!* We want to know your comments on the dango boy! Do you like him? Hate him? Find him humorous? Let us know what you think! Expect some more chapters from us soon! And who knows, maybe Susumu will be back again...

~Nino and Sakura!


	19. Romantic Comedy?

AN: Here we go! Holy cow, how long was it since chapter 17? Well, anyways! I wanted to apologize...again. Sakura made the trip out to college, and now she has a computer again! YAY! So, we are back to writing, MAYBE on a more regular schedule, but no guarantees. But, now that things are all set, I give you the next chapter!

Little voice in the back of my head: Hey, isn't it about time for another disclaimer, so people don't forget...

Nino: Oh, yeah, that might be good...IN NO WAY DO SAKURA OR I (NINO) OWN ANYTHING OF THE NARUTO SERIES EXCEPT FOR MERCHANDISE WE LEGALLY OBTAINED! MASASHI KISHIMOTO TAKES ALL CREDIT EXCEPT FOR THE CHARACTERS EMI AND AINA, WHO BELONG TO SAKURA AND I RESPECTIVELY! THANK YOU, KISHIMOTO-SAMA FOR CREATING SUCH AWESOME CHARACTERS AND LETTING US WARP AND MANIPULATE THEM FOR OUR ENJOYMENT! I ALSO WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO HIDAN FOR BEING TORTURED AND BEHEADED IN THIS FAN-FICTION! (Nino: In all honestly, I really like Hidan, but...well, it just fits the story we've created if he's tormented all the time. I just don't think I ever said sorry to Hidan and all of his fan-girls yet...heh heh!)

Ok, now that THAT'S out of the way...NEXT CHAPTER!

Chapter 18: Romantic Comedy?

"Darn it!" Aina stormed into her boyfriend's room. Deidara was seated at a work table, crafting a new clay sculpture. "Well, that was a bust, huh?"

He knew she was still upset about their attempt at getting Emi and Sasori together. "Yeah, I suppose so, un."

"What are we gonna do? They obviously won't get together without some help," she rested a hand under her chin, thinking deeply upon what other ideas they could attempt.

"Well, what's something a lot of couples do for dates, un?"

The green-haired girls brow raised. "Have you an idea?"

"I think I might. You see, one of the most stereotypical things a couple does...is go to the movies, un."

"Yeah, you're right!" Her brown eyes widened in realization, until the next question popped into her head. "What movie do you suppose we'd go see?"

"Well, from our last movie experience, I think a horror is out of the question. It's good for most couples, since the girl would get just afraid enough to cling to the guy, but Emi...well, she _really_ doesn't take to horrors well, un," he paused a second, remembering how Emi was curled up in Sasori's lap after the first of many horror films Hidan forced them to watch (well, ok, maybe they willingly watched them...but still!). "I'm thinking a romantic comedy."

"Really?" Aina seemed confused by the idea.

"Well, yeah. When they see the main couple all happy and everything at the end, despite the trials they had to face, Sasori and Emi are sure to work up more courage to be together, un."

She let the words sink in to her mind. "You know, I knew there was a reason I picked you to be my side-kick!" she grinned.

Deidara returned the grin. "I know, un."

"We're going where again?" Sasori asked with a bit of suspicion in his tone as the four walked through the town.

"Do I have to say it again?" Deidara turned with a slight frown. "We're going to the movies, un!"

A sigh escaped the red-head's lips. "Why do we have to go?"

"You didn't want to go, Danna?" Emi asked, a bit concerned. The puppeteer glanced over, his face seemingly taken aback-only slightly. He really needed to watch what he said in front of the small girl.

"I-I don't mind going. I'm just a little wary is all," he replied carefully.

"You're tired?" the girl blinked, obviously, she must have been confused with 'weary.' "But I thought you didn't...?"

The eldest of the two girls couldn't help but laugh. "That's not what he means, Emi. But don't worry about it. We just want to have some fun with the two of you!"

'Why do I get the feeling there's a double meaning behind what she said...?' Sasori couldn't help but wonder.

"So what movie will we be seeing?" the violet-haired girl asked curiously.

"Oh," both Deidara and Aina grinned, "you'll see... un."

"Alas, my love, we are out of tea. Therefore, I do not love you anymore."

"Oh, Masahiko, you must understand! I had become bankrupt due to a thief, and-"

"I'm sorry, Tamako, but... I can not love a peasant! Farewell..."

"NO! No, Masahiko! Don't leave me alone!"

Horses whinnied, followed by galloping as the Japanese-traditional carriage sped away from the young woman, leaving her to fall to her knees as she watched her beloved ride away.

"MASAHIKO!" she cried, the tears bubbling from the rims of her eyes. Long hair fell around her shoulders as she hid her sobbing face in her hands. Rain poured down all around her, getting mud on her luxurious kimono.

"This..." Sasori muttered, his non-existent stomach churning, "is so..."

"Stupid," Deidara finished bluntly.

Aina gave a weak smile. "I'd prefer the word 'amateur,' but that word fits this movie pretty well too..."

"Th-that's not fair!" Emi softly cried out, causing the three to jump slightly. Luckily, there were very few people there to actually watch the movie. The others seemed to notice a few small streams of light reflecting from the girl's cheeks. "Tamako-san, you did your best! He's just a meanie! I can't believe he left you because you didn't have tea!"

The puchinello blinked, baffled. "Emi...? Are you ok?"

"Ah?" she sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes, Sasori no Danna...!"

"You're upset about the movie?"

"He left her for tea and money!" she exclaimed, only to get a 'shhh' from a few of the members that made up what little audience existed. The small girl blushed and hushed her tone a bit. "That's not fair!"

"She's really getting into this, isn't she?" Aina whispered to her boyfriend, gesturing to the younger female.

Deidara glanced over at her. Emi's face was blank, eyes wide as she focused intently on the film before them. The tears from before were now dry, but she was still engrossed with the movie none-the-less. "Yup, I'm thinking so, un."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't get into this." Aina fought back a snicker.

"I think I've already thought up of twenty sculptures I could try with my clay."

"The movie's been going for all of ten minutes..."

"I know, un..."

"Please, Yumiko! You are ever so popular with the men. Can't you teach me?"

"Hm...you do have a pretty face." A slight pause. "I guess I could try. Just curious, but do you have a particular man in mind?"

"Well, his name is...Masahiko."

"This'll be interesting! He's a man with a stubborn heart. Let's see what I can do for you, darling."

Emi watched the girl plead with her friend. "Wait, she really wants to try to win his heart back? Why? She could do so much better than him!" The young girl was on the verge of being too loud again, upset by the scene.

"No kidding," Sasori muttered beside her.

"I mean, just about any man would be better than him!"

"Even Hidan?"

Her blue-purple eyes blinked. "Well, that's questionable."

Deidara glanced over at the puppet and medic nin. "Wait, are you actually paying attention, Danna, un?"

"What else am I gonna do, baka?"

"Think of more puppets you could make, plot my demise, tell Emi you love her, think of the next book to read, ponder the meaning of life..."

"You sure have a list, don't you. Wait-" Sasori's eyes widened with realization. "What was that?"

"What was what, un?"

"In the middle of your list..."

"I dunno, I was making stuff up from the top of my head, un," the blond sheepishly replied.

The scorpion could only roll his eyes and focus on the horrid movie again. But he was sure he heard the blond say something along the lines of telling Emi his feelings...

Time had seemed to become nothing but a drag throughout the movie... literally. Aina had fallen asleep against Deidara's shoulder, whilst the bomber himself started playing with her hair in the most utter depths of boredom. Sasori just continued watching quietly, silently being tortured by the cheesiness of the movie. As for the young girl... she was still sitting up, straight as a board, both eyes intent on the events playing across the screen.

"Tamako, I told you not to follow me!" Masahiko's voice shouted. "How many times must I forsake you?"

"Forsake me as many a time as you want!" cried out Tamako in the most desperate of tones. "I will _never_ leave your side for _any_ reason! Even if you spurned me because of my lack of wealth and tea!"

"Stupid!" Emi growled softly. "Don't go back to him! He'll just hurt you again, Tamako-san!"

"I told you already, I won't love a peasant without tea!"

"And I won't leave you! I can always grow and make the tea myself, and-"

Suddenly, an aggravated scoff came from the young man in question. "Tamako! It has nothing to do with tea, alright?"

The young woman blinked, having been shut up. "...What...? But you said..."

"I know what I said," he continued. "But if that won't keep you away from me, then I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

"Then what _is_ the matter? What is keeping you at such a distance from me?"

A dramatic pause then came from the audio. The young medical ninja sat at the edge of her seat, anticipating the moment and waiting for his answer. She hoped he'd reveal just how much of a jerk he really was to Tamako, if she wasn't going to give him up. Sasori just sat there silently, trying to figure out what Deidara had said earlier before. Though, for some reason, he took a slight amusement to Emi's seriousness, even if he was only paying half attention to the movie.

"The crumpets..." Masahiko finally answered, "they were stale."

"Ah!" Tamako cried out in shock. "They-they _were_? But I made them myself...!"

"You put too much flour in them and left them too long."

"Oh, Masahiko, I'm sorry!"

A frown appeared on Emi's face. "He's only blaming her more! How could he?"

"He's just a spoiled pretty boy," Sasori answered simply.

"That can't be right!" the youngest fumed quietly. "There has to be more to it! Something that makes the reason _his _fault!"

The scorpion sighed. "I wouldn't know... Maybe he doesn't want her to know the truth because he doesn't want to shatter her sheltered life?"

"What truth would there be?" Emi asked skeptically.

The man shrugged. "Just watch and see..."

"Please, just find it in yourself to love me again!" Tamako screamed, tears falling down her face.

"Fine, Tamako. You will not listen to reason, so I will tell you the truth. I am an assassin! A murderer!" Masahiko grabbed her shoulders making sure she was listening to him. "You wouldn't even be able to imagine the number of people I have killed...Tamako, my love for you is undying, but I will not have you become tainted as I have. You are...so pure, and I so dark. I don't want to corrupt you."

"Masahiko," Tamako whispered, her eyes widely staring at him in shock.

"Go, Tamako. Get away from me before it's too late."

"I-I cannot. I will not," she began as she whipped the tears from her face. "I still love you, no matter what atrocities you have committed. Let me cleanse you of your pain. Surely, we can leave that life behind. I will help you start anew. Please, please Masahiko! Don't leave me!" Tamako threw herself into his arms, new tears falling down her face. She audibly sobbed as she held a death-grip on his sleeve.

"Tamako, my love..." Masahiko returned the hug. "But, there is one condition."

"One...condition?"

"You must...learn how to make proper crumpets."

Tamako's eyes watered as new tears started to well up. "Oh, Masahiko! I would learn a thousand recipes if it meant your love!"

"Ah! So that's what it is!" Emi exclaimed, earning loud shushes from the small crowd. "He really doesn't want her to get involved with what he's done! Such a kind and caring man!"

"What happened to 'jerk?'" Sasori's eyebrow raised in great confusion.

"He may have done bad things, but it's ok!" she replied. "At least he really does care for her!"

"You... are such a contradicting girl... un..." Deidara looked at her oddly.

"I thought that was supposed to be my job?" Aina sighed. "I really hope this movie will be over soon.. I can't take it anymore..."

"But Aina," the younger grinned, "the story is so beautiful and complex!"

"There is _nothing_ complex about this, un."

Sasori frowned and jabbed at his side. "Be quiet, brat."

"Hey! Danna, un!"

"I said 'be quiet, brat.'"

"But it's the truth, un!"

The puppeteer then leaned in, and in a low, scolding voice, whispered: "She doesn't need to know that!"

"Fine, fine!" the blond pouted slightly with a huff.

"Well, the movie's over," the elder medic informed as she stood up. "Let's get out of this popsicle joint."

"That is the best idea I've heard all day, un!" Deidara beamed as he got out of his seat and followed Aina out of the row of seats.

Emi seemed to have a pout on her face. "You guys are no fun..."

"Don't mind them." The red-head held out his hand for the girl to take. As she accepted his hand and stood as he gently pulled, he pat the top of her head, messing her hair up a little. "They don't know what a good story is." Then a thought followed: 'No matter how cheesy and unoriginal that was...'

Through the dimmed lights, the puchinello could see a smile grow on the girl's face. "Hee hee! You're right. I hope it wasn't too much of a bother to you, Sasori no Danna."

"It wasn't a bother," he replied, "as long as you enjoyed it."

The pale-haired girl chuckled. "Let's catch up with the two love birds before they disappear."

The puppet specialist nodded, putting a hand behind her so the two could exit the wide, spacious room without the teenage girl falling behind.

"Hi, home!" Aina grinned as she opened the door. She was quickly followed by Deidara, then by Emi and Sasori.

"Hey, you guys are back!" Hidan shouted from the kitchen. The green-haired kunoichi was quick to make her way to him. "So, how was the movie?" he asked.

"Well," she started, leaning closer to him so she could whisper. "Dei and I thought it was bad, but Emi seemed to like it. I dunno if Sasori did or not. He acted like he did, but I dunno if he was doing it for Emi or if he seriously enjoyed it."

"Ah," Hidan smiled leaning away from her. "Well, I'm sure you all had a great time, didn't you?"

"Yeah, fantastic...un," Deidara mumbled as he plopped onto the sofa in the living room, which was somewhat connected to the kitchen, with an island in the middle. He turned the television on and began flipping through the channels. His girlfriend joined him shortly after.

"Well, Emi, I heard it was a decent movie you went to see." Hidan directed his attention to the youngest.

"I enjoyed it," she smiled to him. "It was a good story that was well-told."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Well, I have some things to take care of... Talk to you later." Emi smiled as she left the room, leaving Hidan and Sasori.

"You hated it, didn't you?" the Jashinist asked once the girl was out of ear-shot.

"Absolutely," the puppeteer muttered.

AN: TADA! So, I have one last thing to apologize for. My boyfriend made me aware of the fact my little spacey thingys I put between scenes weren't staying. This can make it a little hard to read. If and when I figure out how to make spacers, I'll go back and edit all the chapters so they have them. GOMENASAI!

Well, it seems Deidara and Aina's attempts at being cupid aren't working as planned. First a romantic date to a park, now a movie date...what other ideas do the daring duo have for us! You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out!

~Nino and Sakura!


	20. Girls Lavatories Aren't for Guys

AN: Oh, snap! And so the shenanigans continue~! What have Aina and Deidara in store for us this chapter? Well, you'll just have to read it to find out! Thank you all for the awesome reviews so far! Sakura and I love to get reviews, so please keep them coming! Well, I SUPPOSE I can let you get reading, right? ;)

Once again, I apologize for not figuring out a way to separate scenes yet...I just can't figure out how to get any dividers to stay...hopefully, you guys can figure out where the spaces are supposed to be, so it isn't too confusing. Gomenasai!

Chapter 19: Girl's Lavatories Aren't for Guys

"Deidara, Deidara!" Aina shouted as she sped through the halls and burst through the door to said bomber's bedroom.

"You're lucky I'm not painting my nails this time," he muttered as he tapped his foot against air, his leg resting on his knee.

"Funny how you're not asking what I want."

"Oh, I know what you'll tell me, un."

"Do you, now?"

"You want to either tell me about another scheme of yours to get Emi and Danna together or you want me to help you think of said scheme, un."

"Heh heh, you're smarter than I thought!"

"Hey, now!"

The kunoichi burst into laughter as she witnessed her boyfriend quickly sitting up from his laying position on his bed.

"I'm only kidding, Dei, goodness."

"You better be," he frowned, "un."

"So did you want to hear what I have to say?"

"No, I don't," he replied bluntly. "I don't want anything to do with it, un."

"Bu-but Deidara...!"

"I'm only kidding, Aina, goodness."

"Aha... very funny..."

"Now you know how I feel, un."

"Oh, so this is now a conversation about our feelings, huh?"

"Yup."

She smiled. "Well, in that case, I feel we should execute our next plan to get Sasori and Emi together!"

The blond smirked. "Well, aren't you the sly one, un."

"Tee hee!"

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, you see..."

"So, now you're going to drag us to the mall..." Sasori grumbled from behind his book, 'Puppeteering for the Not-So-Average Puppeteer, Volume 18.'

"Aw, come on, Sasori no Danna, it'll be fun, un!"

"No."

"Please...?"

"No."

"But-"

"No!" The puppeteer quickly stood up, slamming his book closed. He began to walk out of the living room, when Emi entered.

"Ah, Emi!" Aina shouted, bouncing over to the younger kunoichi. "Dei and I are thinking of going to the mall! Wanna come along?"

"Oh, that does sound like fun. Sure!" Her purple-blue eyes looked towards the red-head. "Will you be joining us, Danna?"

"Well, I...sure, why not?"

The two girls smiled to him. "We'll leave in a few minutes then!" Aina cheered as she left to find her shoes. Emi quickly followed suit, leaving to two men alone.

"Danna...you are something else, un."

"What?" Sasori looked towards the blond, confusion on his face.

"She has you whipped. Completely."

The red-head opened his mouth to speak back, but found that he didn't know what to say. The truth was, she had him completely wrapped around her finger. He was helpless when it came to her.

"Brat," he finally muttered, quickly exiting the room.

"Hey, you're the one who started it, un!"

The four reached the mall grounds and soon found themselves inside. It was quite busy for a weekend, but then again, when was a weekend never busy? Then again, they were also in Amekagure... again...

"So where are we headed to first?" Emi asked with a smile on her face.

The elder replied with a grin. "Anywhere! Just holler if you see something!"

"Sounds good to-Oh! Look at that, un!" Deidara stated and dashed in a random direction, dragging Aina along. The other two watched, quite baffled at how quickly the blond left and just as quickly disappeared into the thick crowd of civilians. Sasori wasn't amused.

"That brat," he murmured. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know, it's hard to see," Emi replied with slight worry.

The puppeteer looked around and subconsciously grabbed at the girl's hand. "I suppose we have to go find them. Stick with me, alright?"

Emi blinked, followed up by an obvious blush flushing her cheeks. "Yes, Danna."

"Goodness, Dei, what in the world did you find to make you run so fast?"

"A convenient way to lose them. Mwahahahahahahaha!" the blond laughed heartily, huge grin plastered on his face.

Aina couldn't help but laugh with him. "You sly dog!"

"I like to think artistic and clever, un!"

"Not so sure about the artistic part, but definitely the clever!"

"Hey!"

The green-haired medic laughed again, throwing her head back. "Well, now that we lost them, let's take a look around!"

Emi and Sasori went looking around for half an hour before giving up on finding the couple. With so many people around, it would be almost impossible to spot them. So, they found themselves figuring out what store to enter.

"Get your frozen head bands here!" a young man's voice rang over the talking of the crowd. "Frozen head bands are great for the summer heat! Yours for only $9.99!"

"What ever could a frozen head band be?" Emi pondered aloud as she wandered towards the vendor. Sasori wordlessly followed her to the vendor.

"Hey, there! The name's Mikey! Wanna check these out?" he asked as he handed Emi one of the products. "You see, it's inspired from the ninja head bands. Instead of the metal plate, it has an ice pack, so it'll keep you cool!"

"Hm," Emi placed it against her forehead, immediatly feeling the coldness.

"That...seems like a very interesting product," Sasori mumbled, a look of skeptic across his face.

"It is very interesting!" Mikey smiled to the puppeteer. "It's never been seen before! Something new, something different, something fresh!"

"Well, it definitely keeps you cool," the purple haired ninja commented as she pulled it off. She blinked her eyes, attempting to get rid of the slight pain that formed where the ice pack was. Her blinking messed up her balance and the young girl found herself heading for the ground.

Noticing her falling, Sasori attempted to catch her, but it was too late. Her head crashed into one of the boxes of frozen head bands, making a thud sound.

"Emi!" he quickly knelt down beside her, helping her to sit up. "Are you all right?"

"I think so," she responded, rubbing the back of her head. "I have to admit, falling on ice isn't so much fun."

The scorpion gave the smallest hint of a smile. "I'm sure the pain will go away in a few minutes."

"Ah, gosh, dang it!" Mikey shouted. The two looked to see him inspecting the box Emi landed on. "They're broken! I won't be able to sell them like this!"

"Gomen, gomen!" Emi burst into apologies. "I didn't mean to, I promise! Gomen nasai!"

"I'm glad you're all right, miss, but I am going to need to be compensated for the damages."

Giving a small sigh, Sasori reached for his wallet. "Here, this should cover it."

"Arigatou."

Sasori picked up the slightly damaged box, and helped Emi to stand. The two waved to Mikey before departing from his shop.

"Gomen!" Emi called out one last time.

"So, anywhere else you'd like to go, un?" the infamous bomber, Deidara asked the medic kunoichi.

"Well, I don't know," she replied thoughtfully. "We've already checked Play Ninja, F.Y.E., Hot Nindo... And you got to see your Sleeping Bhudda and the artist's section in Ame's Borders..."

"True," the blond nodded, thinking. "Hmmm..."

...

The couple stood in silence for a moment, the sound ringing in their ears.

"You're hungry, aren't you, un..."

"Heh heh heh," the green-haired girl gave him a sheepish smile. "How'd you guess?"

A chuckle escaped the young man's lips. "Let's get something to eat then, un."

"NINJA BURGER, AWAAAAAAAYYYYY!" the girl shouted quite obnoxiously as she instantly sped towards the food court.

Deidara followed behind with a laugh, trying to keep up with her. "Aina, you better slow down, u-oof!" The bomber suddenly found himself toppling over towards the floor. What he didn't realize until just then was...

"A-Aina!" he exclaimed in shock. "I-I'm... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Deidara," she replied, under him. "Can you please get off now? You're quite heavy..."

The ex-terrorist could feel his face flush with heat as he sat up, helping her along the way. "G-gomen..."

"It's fine..." Aina looked at him, trying to stay calm despite the red on her face and the skipped beat in her chest.

"Well..." He cleared his throat. "Why did you stop then, un?"

"Because we're here. You didn't see that?"

"Ah... oh... no... un..."

"Let's just see what there is and order."

"Right..."

The two made the rest of their way up to the ordering counter, thankful that the line had finally dissipated. Aina had already picked what she was going to eat.

"Welcome to Ninja Burger, may I take your... Aina-chan?"

'Oh no...' the two shinobi simultaneously thought in dread as they took to recognition of the voice.

"Su-Susumu?"

"It _is_ you!" the brunette beamed, then spotted Deidara and gave him a sour look. "And the dumb blond..."

"Hey! Look who's talking, un!"

Aina grabbed at Deidara's hand to motion for him to be quiet. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here now, what else?" Susumu replied sweetly, again giving Deidara another sour look. "Now that the baka got me fired..."

"Serves you right," the blond growled venomously.

"Can we take our order now?" Aina interrupted.

"Yes, serve us, peasant, un."

_Boff_.

"Ow!"

"I would like a 10-piece Churiken with the Katana Slices, please."

"Right away, hun." The young man once again gave her a smile. "And you, Blondie?"

"I'll have a Ninja Jr. Burger... un..."

"Coming right up, princess."

"Why you-!"

"Deidara, let's find a seat."

Doing as he was told, he followed the kunoichi to a seat, all the while, glaring at the fresh-looking boy. He saw that a few girls from behind them were hitting on said young man. The bomber couldn't understand how _anyone_ would like a scrawny piece of meat like him. Deidara, himself, was obviously better!

"Don't scold like that," Aina commented after a minute of him pondering.

"He...irks me, Aina, un."

"I know he does, but that little kid over there is horrified because of your face."

Sure enough, a couple tables away from them was a little boy, staring at the blond with a horror-struck face.

"Please try to look...neutral?"

"I...I'll try." Deidara fought the urge to grind his teeth together. "But still, that Susumu guy..."

"He annoys me too, Dei. There's nothing we can do, though."

"Can't you get a restraining order on him, un?"

"I could if he actually did something to me. However, he hasn't really done anything that would stand out in court to be in my favor."

"His hitting on you should count, un."

"If he weren't giving me compliments as a way to hit on me, it's possible."

Susumu then came to the table, a massive tray of food in his hand. "Here we go, for the lovely lady..." he reached to grab Aina's food, placing it in front of her, "and for blondie."

"Arigatou, Susumu," Aina emotionlessly thanked him.

He smiled to her. "Enjoy."

"Un," Deidara waved his hand in the air before reaching for his burger. As he ate, he seemed to lighten in mood. The grimace on his face disappeared.

Aina looked at him, slightly confused. "You seem to be in a better mood already."

"Well, you said I shouldn't scold, un."

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean 'what did I do,' un?"

"Well, you obviously did something, or you wouldn't already be in a happier mood."

Deidara grinned as he took a bite of his burger. "Just wait, un."

Seconds later, and explosion came from behind the blond, where Susumu was. The contents of his tray were charred as the people around him gasped.

"What? When did you...?"

"As he was leaving, un."

"You brought clay with you?"

"Never know when you might need it, un."

The green-haired ninja attempted to look upset at him, but eventually lost the battle as a smile appeared on her face. "He's gonna get fired for that..."

"Yup, he is, un."

"Aww, they're so cute!" Emi giggled to herself as she lightly poked her fingers through a good-sized cage to pet some small puffs of fluff. "Can I buy one, you think?"

"I don't think so," the puppeteer answered, crouched beside her as he studied the long ears and pink noses of the many rabbits and bunnies. "I don't think pets are allowed."

"Aww... but you have your puppets and Deidara has his clay, and Itachi has his ravens, and Kisame has his sharks and his goldfish, and-" She was suddenly interrupted by a hand landing on her shoulder.

"I get it, I get it," Sasori replied. "But animals are hard to take care of. With such things comes great responsibility."

The younger pouted. "Are you saying I'm not responsible?"

"No, not at all." He looked down at her. "I'm just saying that rabbits need more care than Kisame's fish."

Emi gave a small groan. "Ok..."

"Now, come on, how about we get you something to ea-"

_Boom!_

Sasori stood there for a short moment, his train of thought completely lost. "...That brat," was all he could mutter after some time of thinking.

"Was that... Deidara's bomb?" Emi asked, bafflement apparent on her face.

The puppeteer once more grabbed the girl's hand and started making his way to the stairs. "Is there really a reason to question such an obvious thing?"

Upon reaching the top of the steps, the red-head looked around, trying to spot Deidara. It was only moments later when he spotted said man's famous hair poof and marched his way towards said poof.

"Brat," he started.

"Ah! Crap!" Deidara gave a small gasp. They weren't supposed to find the couple so soon.

(So...Nino couldn't think of what to put next...she has a cold: Typing typing typing attempting to figure out what to put here so it doesn't seem so awkward. Awkward is an awkward word! Who puts w with a k and then ANOTHER w? What where they thinking...but still...to come up with something to put here that would actually make sense. I mean, I shouldn't just sporadically jump to Pein and Konan sitting on a beach side drinking small beverages out of coconut shells, right?)

"This way, Dei!" Aina called out to him. In reaction, he followed the green-haired girl as the two ran through the crowd and ran through a door. The blond turned around to see if Susumu was anywhere in sight, along with Danna. Susumu was just on his way in, but gave a perplexed look before stopping. Deidara didn't have time to figure out why before the door completely closed shut.

He turned to Aina, only to catch glimpses of worn-out, dull pink stalls. His eyes blinked. "Hey... Aina...? Are we in a bathroom...?"

"Yes, we are," she replied, panting a bit from all of the running.

Then, like an electric shock, something immediately hit him.

"We're... in a girl's bathroom... aren't we..."

To their left, a girl turned over from retouching her make up in the mirror. A toilet flushed and a few seconds later, a girl walked out of a stall. Both spotted the two and stared.

"Yes," Aina confirmed. "Yes, we are."

"Why the h-"

"KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the girls screamed in absolute horror, finding a plunger, along with make up to chuck at the apparent blond-man-who-isn't-a-girl.

"GAAAH!" Deidara shouted, covering his ears from the screeching echoes as he made attempts to dodge every attack make-up girl and plunger girl had. Aina, on the other hand, stood clear out of range, being on the opposite side of the room.

"Aren't you gonna help me, Aina, un?"

"Actually, it's kinda fun to watch you get attacked by make up." She gave him a cheesy grin.

"BOMBER CAT IS NOT AMUSED, UN!"

"Since when were you a cat, Deidara?"

"OBSCURE REFERENCES, UN!"

"Heh, sorry! I'll.. I'll make sure you're ok when this is all done," she chuckled. "Have fun!"

"Gee, thanks, Aina. I _really_ appreciate your love and affection, un!"

"I love you~"

"LIES!"

(And so you know, Sakura is NOT sick with a cold...but thought to try and match Nino's mental state-of-being: And the horse went nay, because he didn't want to eat carrots. He wanted to have beef stew with Aina and say "yay~!" and ride out with her into the sunset, as Deidara chucked one of his little clay birdies at the sun and made the sun go boom. And so Sakura tried to one-up Nino's shenanigans and Hidan danced around in happiness as he did his Jashinist rituals for all those who 'sploded for Jashin, as he didn't have to kill anyone, therefore, he got to be masochistic and lazy instead of sadistic and hardworking. And Hidan lived happily ever after... Well, until 'Kuzu showed up. And all of this happened, while Pein and Konan were sitting on the beach, drinking small beverages out of coconut shells.)

Emi, Sasori, and Susumu found themselves looking at the girl's restroom door...flabbergasted.

"Did...did Deidara...actually...?" Emi struggled to find the words she wanted to say.

"Why, yes, I think he just did," Sasori responded, eyes glued to the small female symbol on the center of the door.

"You know," Susumu started, "I always knew something was wrong with him."

"I'm going to go in and check on them!" the young girl shouted over the crowd as she ran towards the restroom.

Sasori's eyes widened. "Wait, Emi! Don't get lost!" He lowered the hand he had raised to reach for her, realizing she was long gone. "Drat, well, I guess there was nothing I could do anyways."

"You're group is absolutely crazy, you know," the Ninja Burger worker observed, watching the violet-haired girl run into the crowd.

"I don't even know where to begin in telling you just what they are like," the scorpion shook his head, his face falling a little.

"I know, you aren't even normal, Mr. I-don't-need-to-eat!"

"Well, it's true. I'm a puppet, and so do not require things like food."

Susumu looked over to him skeptically. "You are just...weird...and creepy."

"Happy Halloween?"

"Dude, it's, like, the middle of September..."

"Where I'm from, it feels like Halloween every day."

"Oh..."

"GAH! GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!" Deidara yelled from the bathroom, running out at a speed faster than light. Just behind him, the two girls continued to throw assorted make-up things at him, following hardly a couple feet behind the blond.

People in the crowd quickly quieted down at the commotion, parting to make a path for the blond-bomber. Even after the blond and two girls went by, people in the crowd just stood there, dazed and confused.

Aina and Emi both popped their heads out of the door, surveying the scene. When they saw Susumu was still out there, they quickly ducked their heads back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

The puppeteer and Ninja Burger employee simply stared at the scene before them. After a moment, Sasori burst into laughter; a rare sight to see. "I really wish I had taken a picture of that!"

"Dude, I have a camera phone right here," Susumu offered said phone, all up and ready to go.

"You are now my new bes-"

"Sasori, we do NOT make best flippin' friends with the freakin' enemy!" Aina barked as she snatched his collar and dragged him over to the bathroom at top speed. Emi blinked in slight confusion and just chuckled nervously.

"Eh heh heh... gomen...?" she said before Aina pulled her away and slammed the door shut.

Susumu just stood there awkwardly, having almost no idea what had just played in front of him. "...Wow, she's got quite the vocabulary..."

"What was that for?" the puppeteer growled at the eldest of the medic nin. "I wanted to get a picture!"

"You don't have to worry, I have a picture right here!" she replied, causing Sasori to quiet down.

"...I_ knew_ there was a reason we kept you in the Akatsuki," he smiled, bemused, "I just knew it."

Aina grinned with a chuckle. "Oh, I feel glad to make you _so _proud!"

"You should. It's a rare compliment from me."

"I can only imagine."

"So..." Emi started quietly, "how long should we stay in here?"

"Until Susumu's gone," the elder replied almost instantly. "No way I'm going out there with him around."

"Wait... What room are we in anyways?" Sasori asked, now thinking about it. He looked around and saw worn-out, dull pink stalls.

"The girl's lavatory," the younger answered.

"WHAT?" the puchinello gasped. "Ok, that's it, I'm out of here. _I'm_ not about to get humiliated like that brat, for absolutely no reason!"

"No!" Aina blocked the door with her body. "_Not_ with Susumu out there!"

"Why not?"

"You were about to make friends with him! _Friendsssss...!_"

"So? Didn't you ever learn to love your enemy?"

"EW!"

"I don't mean literally, it's an _expression_, Aina!"

"I don't care! He's Susumu! _Susumu_! It means creeper!"

"No, it doesn't..." Emi stated thoughtfully.

"HE'S AN EXCEPTION, YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Aina scowled. "Don't cloud the issue with facts!"

"Gomen!"

"Be nice to Emi," Sasori frowned, pulling the small girl away. "If you're not gonna let me out, then I'll just go home."

"Ha! How so?" Aina gave him a cocky grin, still in front of the door. "I'd like to see you try, Mr. Puppeteer."

"Suit yourself."

_Poof!_

The green-haired medic blinked in utter confusion as both he _and_ Emi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Say what...?" she questioned. "Poof...?" All of a sudden, she hit the brick wall of realization. "...Ooooooohhhh... _poof_! He wanted to get out of the bathroom, and he couldn't go out from the door, so he, _yeeees_... Ha ha... I get it now...!"

"Dude..." Hidan started, looking at the small phone, "...that is awesome!"

As everyone began to laugh, the door burst open, revealing a very angry blond. "WOW GUYS! THANKS FOR THE BACK UP, UN!" the blonds face started to turn pink, then to a dark shade of red. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS WOULD JUST LEAVE ME! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL OF YOU, UN?"

Aina blinked her eyes. "Love us?"

"Aina..." the bomber growled between his teeth. "Don't even start with me, un."

"But-"

"I'm gonna walk out of here! When I get back, we are all gonna pretend like that picture doesn't even exist, un!"

As the door slammed shut, the entire Akatsuki simply stared at the front door. Mere seconds later, it reopened.

Deidara stood looking at everyone once again, attempting to act normal. "Ok, you know what? I don't even know where to begin, un."

"I love you." Aina smiled to him, her eyes seeming to twinkle.

"I...I-ugh! Why do you have to be so cute and adorable, un?"

"Because you love me too!" she grinned, getting up to go to him.

Deidara began to walk away. "No, I don't. Not after today, un."

"Yes, you do~" the green-haired girl giggled as she followed him.

The blond stopped in the middle of the hallway. He turned around and pulled her into a hug. "Yes, I do...but I'm still not happy you just left me there, un."

She looked up to him, her chocolate brown eyes looking into his ocean blue ones. "Gomen...I love you very, VERY much!"

"I love you too, un."

"Wow, that is ever so touching, but I'd like to get to my room, please," Sasori demanded, standing a couple feet away.

"Gomen," the two said together as they stepped to the side of the hallway, letting the puppeteer through.

Emi followed close behind, struggling to hold up a box. "S-Sasori no Danna, wait!"

Once he reached his door, he turned to the girl. "Yes?"

"What do we do with this?" she asked, starting to shiver a little. "We can't just leave it sitting..."

"Oh, right." He took the box from her, slowly realizing that she was still human, therefore, more apt to getting cold. "I'll take care of it."

"Arigatou..." She paused, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "And, um... Gomen..."

"Hm? For what?"

"Making you buy them... I'm such a klutz..."

"You are a klutz," Sasori replied, giving Emi a feel of shock.

Her face went red with embarrassment. "You... I..."

"But I don't mind it," he continued, causing her to look up at him. "It's actually kind of cu..." He paused instantly, catching himself.

She blinked. "Cu...?"

"Cu... Cu... Customary... for you..."

"...Eh?"

"It's customary... It's normal..."

"...Oh... right..." She looked down, her voice had a hint of slight disappointment. Suddenly, she felt a hand touch a strand of her hair, felt it being lifted and tucked behind her ear. She looked back up feebly at the puppet master who gave her a gentle smile.

"But it's kinda cute too."

This, then, made the younger's face start to turn completely red. "O-oh..."

The red-head chuckled, using a hand to pat her head. "Don't worry about the headbands. It's not that big of a deal."

Emi blinked and nodded in return and her danna once again turned to go into his room. She couldn't help but smile awkwardly as she mumbled: "Arigatou, for understanding..."

"Emi, come make dinner with me!" Aina called out urgently. "Before Hidan steps foot into the kitchen!"

"Oh, um, coming!" she called back and headed towards said kitchen.

Sasori looked back before closing his door, a chuckle coming deep within his throat. "Douitashimashite."

AN: Le GASP! Are Aina and Deidara's plans finally beginning to work? Maybe...maybe not...you'll just have to look forward to chapter 20! By the way, I figured I'd share with all of you, since this is chapter 19, that we are at Deidara's age: 19 years old! Sorry I missed your birthday this year, Dei-Dei! Maybe next year...But I think it'll be a while before we get to Sasori's age in chapter numbers...*cough cough* 35 *cough cough* ANYWAYS...REVIEW! Sakura and I want to hear from ALL of you! Whether you're a returning fan or a new comer, we don't care! Domo Arigatou!

Nino and Sakura


	21. TOAD: To Our Awesome Demise!

AN: OK! Chapter 20! Surely, with a title like that, stuff is bound to happen! Oh, wait, stuff happens in every chapter! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 20: TOAD: To Our Awesome Demise.

Deidara sat on his bed. The current time was 2:59. The seconds ticked away. 55, 56, 57...

"58, 59...boom, un."

"DEIDARA!" Aina's voice boomed as she entered the blond's bedroom.

"What can I do for you today, Aina, un?"

"Wanna take a guess?"

"You have another crazy scheme in the works for Sasori no Danna and Emi, un?"

The green-haired kunoichi grinned to him. "Bingo!"

"What's this one going to be, if that's not too stupid a question to ask?"

"Project: TOAD!"

"Toad, un?"

"To Our Awesome Demise!"

"Wait a minute..." the blond began to ponder the title of their next plan. "We're not..._really_...creating our demise, are we, un?"

"Deidara, you know Sasori's been catching on to our plans. After this one, I'm sure he's gonna confront us about it. I mean, we dragged him to a koi fish park, a horrible romance movie, and abandoned him with Emi at the mall. There's no way he's not gonna burst after this one!"

The blond looked bewildered at her a moment. "We're gonna get killed by him...un..."

"Most likely, but I figure it a sacrifice well worth it!"

"Well, before we jump to conclusions like that, what is this 'Project: TOAD,' un?"

Aina pulled a small box out from behind her, holding it out to Deidara. Reluctantly, the blond took the box. He hesitated a moment before opening it.

"Gah!" he yelped, almost jumping back at the sight of what was in the box. "You've got to be kidding me, un!"

"I have more where that one came from."

"You know," he started, closing the box and handing it back to the girl. "I'm kind of exited to see where this one goes, un."

"It's going to be awesome, that's for sure!"

"Emi, may I see that drawing again?" Sasori asked. "I want to look it over again before I continue."

"Here you go, Danna." She handed him a picture. He took the slip of paper and looked over the lines and designs sketched onto it. The puppeteer looked back to the project and continued to work on it.

"Arigatou."

"Douitashimashite."

The girl smiled and watched as her Danna continued working, handing him any tools he asked for. Meanwhile, Aina and Deidara had peered in ever-so-slightly.

"We good, un?" he whispered.

"We're good," she nodded in a matching whisper.

The two grinned to one another and turned their backs on the door to head into another room. They both held two medium-sized boxes.

"Alright, let operation TOAD begin!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone and the two then got to work.

Minutes later, the door opened, and the couple hurried out of the room, quietly, but quickly shutting the door behind them. Aina looked over to her boyfriend and grinned, followed by some chuckling as they walked back to the blond's room.

"We're gonna die," she chuckled.

Deidara also started laughing a bit. "We are sooo gonna die, un."

"We're gonna die!"

"We're gonna die, un!"

The two then burst out into a fit of laughter as they continued stating the same phrase over and over, walking into the other bedroom.

Emi looked over to the mostly closed door to the hallway. "What do you think Aina-chan and Deidara-san are laughing about?" she pondered aloud.

"Who knows?" Sasori responded, not bothering to look up from his work. "Maybe they've finally cracked."

After a few hours of waiting, laughing, and pondering all the different ways Sasori might decide to kill them, Deidara and Aina ended up in the bomber's room, wearing bow ties with champagne flutes full of Mountain Dew.

Aina let out a sigh. "Well, this has been awful fun, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has, un." Deidara grinned to her.

"Well, maybe after three failed plans, this one will actually work."

"One can hope, un."

"You know," Aina began to ponder. "I'm really happy this is how I'm gonna go out. I get to be sitting next to the one I love, wearing a bow tie and drinking my favorite drink out of a fancy glass thing...I don't think I could paint this picture any better."

Deidara thought on her words a moment. "I have to admit, this is a pretty classy way to go down. Bow ties just add classiness, don't they, un?"

"Indeed they do. Well," the green-haired girl raised her glass, "to our awesome demise?"

"To our awesome demise, un."

The two champagne flutes connected, making a small 'tink' sound before the two ninja downed the Mountain Dew in one sip.

"EEEKKKK!" Emi's voice rang from down the hallways. Both Deidara and Aina looked towards the door, which they left open.

"Eleven o'clock on the money. Good call, Aina, un."

"I try," she giggled.

Sasori's door burst open, with him heading full speed to Emi's room. As he got there, he saw her laying in her bed, a look of horror on her face. Examining the room, he figured out why.

Filling the room, and covering every surface, were toads. Billions and billions of toads sat everywhere in the young kunoichi's bedroom.

The puppeteer wasn't really sure what to think, in all honesty. How could so many toads have found their way into the hideout unnoticed? Unless...

"Deidara...Aina..." The names were hard to say through his clenched teeth.

"Sasori..." Emi's voice was hardly a whisper as she looked to him.

The scorpion found himself temporarily releasing his anger towards the ninja couple. "Emi..." he started into the room. "Are you hurt at all?"

"No, I'm...I'm just really...scared..."

"It's ok, I'm here," as he reached the bed, he extended his arms to her. She quickly grabbed for his hands, helping him reach her while dodging the many small slimy creatures. He began to pick her up bridal style in order to get her out of the room. "Just close your eyes, and we'll be out of here in just a minute."

The small girl did as she was told, and just as she was promised, she next found herself away from her infected bedroom. The puppeteer gently set her down on the couch in the family room.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked her again.

The violet-haired girl shook her head, not able to form much in the way of words.

"I'm going to clear some of my puppet tools off of my bed so you can sleep there tonight, ok?"

"But, I can sleep on the couch..." Emi began to offer.

"No, it's fine. It'll be more comfortable in there. I will stay out here tonight for you."

"Oh, um...arigatou."

"Douitashimashite." Sasori left to complete his task...and to hunt down two certain ninja...

"So, how long do you thing the countdown is, Dei?" the silly kunoichi asked, taking a gulp of more Mountain Dew.

Said bomber laughed. "Ha! Knowing my Danna, it won't take him too long, un..."

"I think you're right," she giggled. "You got a specific time? You didn't answer my question."

"Well, you see," Deidara continued, swirling the yellow-green drink in his flute as he stared into it, "since he's already found out about Emi and the toads, he probably started by taking Emi to his room, un. But because he's such a wimp, and the fact he's already on to us, he'll probably come to our room with a death of a glare and daggers in his tone as he says-"

"Aina..." said scorpion said lowly with poison in his voice; putting even more venom in the next name. "Brat..."

"Yeah! Like that!" Deidara beamed at her with a grin. "Wow, Aina, I never thought you could do such a good impression of Danna!"

"Uh... Dei... That wasn't..."

"...He's right behind me, isn't he... un..."

"Yeeee-up..."

"Ah ha ha..." he started laughing nervously, slowly turning to meet his demise with his girlfriend. "Ha ha... Danna...! My man...! How are you this fine evening, un?"

"It's the middle of the night," the ginger replied slowly, "and you put toads in Emi's room... didn't you..."

"W-who, us? Danna, Danna, please!" the blond held his hands up defensively. "Why would we do something so cruel and unusual?"

"Because it's something we'd do?" Aina answered.

"You're not helping, Aina, un!" he muttered under gritted teeth.

She shrugged, laughing a bit. "Dude, we're already dead anyways."

"You two get those toads out of Emi's room, _right... now..._" Sasori continued.

Aina yawned. "Can't it wait until morning?"

"If it waits, it'll be waiting for an eternity," he replied. "While both of your souls will have fleeted before the next hour strikes."

Deidara gulped. "Eh heh... Are you serious, un?"

"Dead serious."

"Why so serious?" Aina asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"DON'T you even _think_ of playing jokes with me right now!" Danna scolded. "Get those frogs out of here... now."

"Uh, technically, Danna..." the blond started, "they're toads..."

"I don't care! Just get them out, before I dissect them and throw their bodily organs all into your beds!"

"EW! Ok, ok, we're going!" Aina shot up onto her feet and dragged Deidara out, both avoiding the glare that the scorpion kept locked on them.

"You know, it might have been a good idea to count how many of them we had, un," Deidara stated, picking up another toad.

"Heh heh, well, I wasn't expecting him to make us gather them all up tonight. And I guess I was kinda thinking we'd be dead and so he'd be picking them up himself."

"Good point," the blond placed the toad into one of the many boxes. "Do we have a guess?"

Aina pondered a moment. "Well, I think somewhere around thirty."

"That many?" the blond raised an eyebrow.

"I think so, I mean, I'm just guessing here,"

"Hm, just seemed like there weren't quite that many, un."

"We'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

"Yup, un,"

The two ninja continued collecting toads from Emi's room. A couple from the bed, a couple from the desk, billions from the floor, even a few from the closet. Aina went to pick another one off of the desk when she noticed Emi's sketchbook.

Her brown eyes looked from side-to-side before she reached out for the book. "Hm."

"Hm what, un?" Deidara asked, looking over her shoulder. The two began to look at the pictures. "Are these..."

"They're pictures of us, all the stuff we've done. Look, this first picture is Hidan with the Cherrios all around him."

"Oh, and there's us at the piggy back race, un!"

"We did awesome in that, didn't we?" the green-haired girl grinned.

The blond grinned back. "Un!"

They flipped through a few more pages, then stumbled across a picture of Emi and Sasori in the middle of a lake.

"This must be from the matsuri," Aina concluded.

"Hey, look at this," the bomber pointed to the picture. "The ripples of water look like they say 35, don't they, un?"

"Huh, it does...I wonder what 35 means?"

"I dunno, but we should probably get these toads picked up before Sasori gets back, un."

"Oh, right! We probably should!" Aina said as she gently set the sketchbook back down where it was before.

After another half-hour, the two ninja finished their job. They brought the boxes outside, where they released the small slimy creatures.

"Bye, toads," Aina smiled as she waved to them.

"All right, I'm heading to bed, un," the blond stretched his arms out before walking inside.

"I think bed sounds like a good idea, too," his girlfriend agreed before the two headed in for the night.

"Are you alright, Emi?" Sasori asked, walking into his room. He looked over to find the small girl sitting on his bed, legs curled up against her.

"I-I'm ok," she replied with a sheepish smile. "I just never expected to find toads... in my bed..."

"They were in your room too," he stated, causing her to make a face. "But they're gone now. You can go back to bed if you like."

"And sleep in a bed full of toad goo?" Emi exclaimed in slight shock, a sickened look on her face. "Ew!"

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"Toads feel slimy," she replied, remembering that the puppet master can't feel such things. "They also have poison behind their eyes!"

"Poison?"

"Yes..." The girl shivered at the thought. "If the poison touches your eyes or mouth, maybe even your skin, it'll cause irritation. Intense burning. I don't want to have to deal with that!"

"I don't blame you," he said thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want you to get poisoned. Well, then, get off the bed."

"Huh?"

"I need to prepare it so you can sleep properly."

"O-oh, you don't have to! I can sleep elsewhere..."

"Didn't we go through this already?" Sasori gently pulled her off the bed and started clearing it. "I said I would stay in the living room tonight."

"Ah... er... Ok..."

The man smiled as he worked. "Good girl. Could you please get some sheets for me? I don't quite know where the organization stores them."

"Yes, Danna," she nodded and went about to fetch some sheets.

The next morning, Aina and Deidara sat in the kitchen, eating some cereal. Not Cheerios this time. Capt'n Crunch. And not just Capt'n Crunch. Capt'n Crunch Peanut Butter... with the remains of Honey Nut Cheerios.

"Man... That darn Hidan always has to eat all the Cheerios, un..." Deidara complained.

"At least there was some left?" his girlfriend reminded him.

"There was only half a cup left!" he explained. "We each only got half of that half, Aina, un..."

"Oh well," she shrugged. "At least peanut butter and honey go together well."

"True... un..."

"What are you brats up to?" a quiet, familiar voice sounded behind the two, causing them to jump slightly.

"Oh! Danna... Morning, un!"

"Morning, Sasori."

"You're avoiding my question."

"What are we up to?" the green-haired girl repeated.

"We're eating, Danna, un."

Sasori's brown eyes intensified into a leer. "Why would I want to know something like that?"

"Because it may be our last breakfast?" the blond answered.

"I don't care about your last breakfast."

"But the balance between the honey, the wheat, _and_ the peanut butter is _perfect_, Danna, un!"

"Oh, shut up! There's nothing good about those little square and circle pieces you call food! Do you even know what it's made of? Sugars and fats! Stuff you don't-_really_ don't need!"

"Is this Health 101?" Aina asked curiously.

"What.. I..." Sasori blinked, realizing he was getting off topic. "No!"

"Aw, we were doing so good, too!"

"Alright, but if you plan to be a health teacher, don't go into... uh... Awkward Ed.. Un."

The red-head looked at the blond oddly. "Awkward what, brat?"

"Awkward Ed., un."

"What is that?"

"You don't know?" he gaped. "Danna, you're how old? Are you're really that naive?"

The scorpion glared once again. "I prefer not to answer such confidential questions."

"Ohh man..." Deidara whistled. "Sasori no Danna, I can't believe you don't know..."

"Maybe Sasori helped build the pyramids."

"Aina, shush!" the blond turned to her desperately. "Just let me handle this, un!"

"I don't know... I don't think I like where this is going, Dei-Dei..."

"Just trust me," he whispered, putting a finger to his lips with that same desperate look.

"Somehow, I feel that may be the wrong thing to do..." Aina sighed quietly, deciding maybe it was best for him to just live life.

Deidara, on the other hand, ignored her comment and turned his attention back to Sasori. "Anyways, Danna... Maybe you should know about Awkward Ed., un?"

"Who is this Awkward Ed.?" he frowned. "And should I even care?"

"Yes, it'd be helpful, in your situation."

"I really don't get you, brat..."

"Juuust listen to my explanation first..." the Akatsuki bomber stood up, putting an arm around his danna's shoulders and leading him into another room. As he did this, he lowered his voice, leaning towards Sasori's ear. "You see, Awkward Ed. is..."

Moments later, Aina heard a huge _boff_ sound, followed by a cry of pain.

"Oh, Deidara..." she sighed. "I told you, but did you listen? Nooo, of course not. Told him not to do it, but he did. That blond..."

"So..." Aina began, "what do you want to do?"

"I have no idea, un. With Sasori out there, I'm kinda scared to leave..."

"Me too."

Aina and Deidara sat on the blond's bed, the green-haired girl using the other as a back-rest. Neither was doing anything in particular, except wondering how much longer it would be before Sasori confronted them again.

"I'm...thinking of a number between-"

"Pi, un," the bomber was quick to respond.

"Darn, I thought I'd got you this time."

"Maybe next time, un."

_THUD THUD THUD!_

"I think that would be Danna to kill us, un," Deidara reasoned as he got up and headed for the door.

"This isn't gonna end well, is it?"

"Probably not, un."

As the door opened, Sasori glared into the room. "Answers," he started. "I want them now."

"42 is the meaning of life," Aina responded.

Deidara waved his arm in front of him. "Those are not the droids you are looking for."

"Do you mean the African swallow, or European swallow?"

"The average land speed of a giraffe is 37 miles per hour, believe it, un!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Sasori burst, abruptly stopping the two ninja's trains-of thought. "I could care less what the meaning of life is, the frickin' droids, the speed of a stupid swallow, no matter _where_ it came from, OR the land speed of a giraffe! You both know _exactly _what I'm talking about!"

"So, there's no hope of us using witty humor and obscure references to escape this, un?"

"NO! Now, what are you two trying to accomplish here?"

The brown-eyed kunoichi stood up, walking over to the puppeteer. "Well, Sasori..."

Emi walked down the hallways, humming a little song to herself. For being in an unfamiliar room last night (in the ways of sleeping, not necessarily as in she wasn't familiar with the room), she felt she slept very well. Now, she just needed to find Aina and ask her a question about cooking dinner. As she passed Deidara's room, she heard yelling and decided to investigate.

"So you guys have been spending the past _two weeks_ trying to get Emi and I together?" she heard Sasori's voice exclaim.

"Neither of you two were gonna do anything about this anytime soon, un!"

"Look, Deidara, quit interfering with us!"

Emi was now leaning against the wall, next to the door. She attempted to stay silent as the conversation went on.

"But, Sasori," Aina began. "You obviously like her and she obviously likes you, so what's the big deal?"

"Everything! Look, I love Emi; I love her more than anything else in this world. But she's so...pure. I don't want to taint her!"

"But you would have to face this eventually, un."

"At least I could wait until Emi was less naive! She's an intelligent girl, but she's naive when it comes to a lot of things, and I don't think she's ready to face this!"

"To face what?" Aina questioned.

"To-ugh! What am I doing? Look, just stay out of this! I don't need either of you two doing anything else that is stupid, idiotic, or downright ridiculous!"

As the red-head stormed out of the room, the other two ninja were left baffled and confused.

Emi let out a small gasp as she realized Sasori was leaving the room. With no time to react, she was face-to-face with him only seconds later.

"Gah-" the puppeteer gasped, taking a step back before crashing into the smaller girl. "Emi! I..."

"Sasori..." the purple-blue eyed girl stared at him.

"I...I have to go now," he quickly walked past her, most likely to his room.

"S-Sasori no Danna!" she attempted to call back, but he didn't turn around before turning the corner in the hallway.

Aina and Deidara peered out of the bedroom astonished. "Emi," both exclaimed, unsure of what to say or do.

"I...I think I'm going to go...for a walk, now," Emi stated as she began walking, her eyes wide in shock as she attempted to process everything that just happened.

The two ninja looked to each other. "We're screwed, aren't we?" the girl asked.

The blond nodded his head. "We're dead, no question about it, un."

AN: AAnndd...CLIFFHANGER! BWAHAHAHAHA! I don't think we've ever pulled something something like that before! Le GASP! Well, that's certainly a different way to end a chapter, huh? I hope you guys are liking where things are going! Seems like things are getting pretty epic! Well, leave us some comments, we love to hear from you all! Arigatou!

~Nino and Sakura


	22. Welcome to the Akatsuki, Emi

AN: And officially, our fan-fiction is old enough to consume alcoholic beverages! WHOO! Too bad Sakura and I don't like alcohol...and we are still underage ourselves...and alcohol is bad for you to begin with...ANYWAYS! Here's an awesome chapter we've been waiting to do for a while now...ENJOY!

Chapter 21: Welcome to the Akatsuki, Emi

Age 8

_Thump! Thump! Ka-thump!_ Kunai went tumbling down to the ground before they could even reach the wooden post across the practice field. (Author's note: This opening, to Nino, is apparently very similar to the opening of Winnie the Pooh... Glad to tickle your humor, Cheesecake! =P) Children surrounding a small girl shouted, whether they were being uplifting or not, the girl wasn't sure. Every word that rang into her hears were disappointed words, hateful, even. When, she pondered, was her turn finally going to end?

"Come on, Emi," one child yelled, "you're so weak! Just hit it already!"

"If you don't hit the target, you won't get anywhere!" another chimed.

"Just give up! We _all_ know you can't do it!"

Farther off, two men stood, watching over the group of children.

"Man, looks like Emi's having it tough out there..." the first stated, sympathy in his tone. "I should go check on her..."

The other man grabbed the teacher by the shoulder, a firm grip upon him. "Leave her. She needs some toughing up."

"But Sensei, can't you hear the yelling over there?" the brunette teacher pointed out. "That's way too harsh!"

"There is no such thing as "too harsh" for a failure of a "prodigy," Iruka."

"Sensei, if you think she's such a failure, then let me train her," Iruka suggested. "We can obviously see that she's not quite up to par with everyone else, but, you see-"

"Of course, she's not up to par with everyone else! _That's_ why she's a _failure_! Iruka, she's supposed to be a _prodigy_, she's supposed to be _better_ than Uchiha Sasuke!"

"I think everyone expects too much of Emi," the young teacher continued. "She's still a child. She could just as well be a late bloomer, for all we know. Emi just needs a little more encouragement is all."

"Pheh!" the elder huffed. "Encouragement is the _last_ thing she needs. She needs more discipline!"

"Sensei, I don't think such a thing is necessary," the dolphin man frowned. "She'll never learn with just discipline. It would break down any confidence she has left!"

"That girl should have enough confidence with the fact that she's of the Tsukanoma clan," the elder teacher responded bitterly. "But because of her lack of progress, she's tainting the name."

"Look, I know you're her teacher," Iruka said firmly, "but just let me teach her for a while. One-on-one. I have another student who's just like her, and-"

"You mean that brat, Naruto?" the man scoffed. "Her skill level is _just_ like his. Put two failures together, and they'll fail even more."

"Sensei, that was uncalled for."

"It's uncalled for to have this... this _weakling_ be of the great Tsukanoma clan! It's a disgrace to even have her in this village!"

"Sensei, that's _enough_!" Iruka shouted, causing the elder man to quiet. The children stopped their shouts and degrading insults, staring at their sensei. Iruka straightened his composure when he realized he gained the attention of his students and stared firmly into the other's eyes. "Sensei, I don't _care_ if you're Emi's personal trainer," he said sternly, a glare in his eyes, "but you will _not_, I repeat,_ will not_ insult my student."

"She's not your stude-"

"She's my student just as much as she is yours," he replied. "Except, I train her far longer than you've ever had the patience to train her."

The words that the young teacher rebuked to the other had made the elder teacher go completely silent for a long time. After moments that seemed like almost years, the elder teacher finally stiffened his composure.

"Fine. Do what you want with the brat." With that said, the teacher walked off. After watching the man disappear into the streets, Iruka sighed, turning to his students.

"Emi," he called out, "come with me, please."

Emi timidly nodded and slowly stood up.

"You're gonna get it now," one of the children sneered as she walked past them, "Stupid."

"Naruto, this is Emi. Emi, Naruto," Iruka pointed to the two young ninja-in-training to introduce them.

"I..uh...H-Hello, Naruto..." the young girl shakily spoke.

"So you're name's Emi, dattebayo? I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Now then," the teacher began, "I have the two of you here so we can work on some special training to get you both back up with the other classmates."

"What are you talkin' about, sensei? I'm doing just fine! Heck, I'm even better than Uchiha Sasuke, dattebayo!"

Iruka attempted not to make a face, knowing the young orange-clad boy was completely wrong. "I'm...sure you are, Naruto. Anyways, I think the both of you do need a little work on kunai, that and some one-on-one training is what's needed. However, I'm going to work with the both of you for today."

"Hai," Emi's small voice agreed.

"Fine," the yellow-haired boy waved off. "Let's just get started already, dattebayo."

Some time of training passed. The two young children were nearly sweating as they continued to practice.

"Very good, you two!" Iruka called out, a weak smile on his face. "Let me get the targets back up. In the mean time, try to figure out how to hit the middle of the last target."

"Yeah, yeah, sensei, I get it!" Naruto called back. "I can do it, 'ttebayo!"

"Um... hai, Iruka-sensei," Emi replied timidly as the two each picked up a kunai.

"Better watch out, Iruka-sensei!" the blond grinned, aiming. "'Cause I'm gonna hit it this time, 'ttebayo!"

"I'm sure you will, Naruto," he replied, trying to sound positive. "Just keep trying."

"Here I go!" the young ninja-in-training stated as he chucked the kunai while Iruka picked up some of the targets. It completely missed the post; Iruka easily caught it before it could hit him. "Darn it!"

"Nice try, Naruto," he smiled, continuing to pick up any other kunai and targets he could find.

"You should try now, Emi!" Naruto grinned, patting her back.

"Ah! Er... I don't know..."

"Come on!" His voice dragged.

"Naruto-san, I don't think-"

"You can do it!"

"Ah... Ok..." Emi slowly nodded and continued on to get around the orange-clad ninja as he moved. A sudden pressure was felt on her toe and she suddenly felt slight wind blowing her hair back. "Oh!" Her eyes shut tight upon impact as she felt the kunai she held forcefully slip through her fingers.

"Ah! Emi, be careful!" Naruto exclaimed after getting knocked off his feet from the force of her fall.

"G-gomen!"

"Whoa!" a third voice sounded, followed by a _thunk_! The two sat up and looked over towards their sensei and saw that he, too, was on the ground. Their eyes drifted towards the direction Iruka's eyes were glued to, only to see a metallic gleam coming from the post. In the dead center of it, was a kunai. _Emi's_ kunai. The two blinked in surprise.

"Emi... You hit it!" Naruto exclaimed in awe.

"I... I hit it?"

"You did!"

"I hit it..."

"How in the world is someone able to hit a target without even meaning to, dattebayo?"

"I..."

"Well, even if she _did_ hit it," the teacher spoke up, standing as he took the kunai away from the wood that it kissed, "such a lucky shot won't save you in a real battle situation."

"Oh..." Emi blinked before she looked down, finding sudden interest in the ground in front of her.

"But you did a good job," Iruka continued, walking up to them and patting her head, giving her a grin. "It still takes pretty mad skills to hit a target without meaning to."

Her eyes blinked, looking up at her teacher. A small giggle escaped her lips.

"Arigatou, Iruka-sensei."

Age 12

"I... actually... got it..." a now slightly older Emi blinked, trying to accept the reality she had been put through. A metal plate gleamed in the sunlight as it moved with dark navy blue fabric in her hands. "I actually... passed..."

"You're so lucky!" Naruto whined, looking over her shoulder. "Emi, how in the world could you pass without me?"

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun!" Emi flustered, not having seen him right behind her. "I didn't mean to, honest!"

"Well," he sighed, giving her a big grin, "at least you passed! Good job!"

The girl couldn't help but smile, giggling. "Arigatou, Naruto. But I only passed because I got lucky."

"You _did_ get lucky," a blue-haired boy intervened the two, giving the young girl a face. "It's not everyday you see a klutz pass and become a genin."

"B-Bunpei..." the lavender-haired girl blushed in embarrassment and looked down.

"Hey! That's not very nice, 'ttebayo!"

The one called Bunpei shrugged. "It's true though."

"Bunpei, you need to learn to bite your tongue," another approached them. The boy sported crimson eyes and dirty blond hair.

"Oh, be quiet, muscle-head," Bunpei's green eyes rolled skeptically. "You have no room to talk."

"Hey! I'm just saying, be nice to your team, butt face," the other frowned.

"Face butt!"

"Round-faced nut!"

The other gasped dramatically. "You take that back!" he threatened slowly.

"What makes you think I will?"

"I am _not_ round-faced, thank you very much!"

"Well, I'm not a muscle-head!"

"The rest of you is muscle, might as well admit your head is too!"

"Those guys..." A sweat seemed to drop on Naruto's head. "They're... ridiculous... dattebayo..."

All Emi could do was chuckle weakly. They may have been her friends, but Naruto was right... They were something else.

But Bunpei was also right. It really _was_ luck that got her to pass. She honestly didn't know how she did it, but she hoped it wasn't because of all of the klutzy mistakes she made along the way.

"So these are my students, hm?" A man in chuunin attire hummed to himself thoughtfully, looking over the profiles and pictures of three students.

"Yes. Nagano Makoto, Shiratori Bunpei, and Tsukanoma Emi," the Sandaime Hokage answered.

"Tsukanoma?" the sensei chuckled. "So I get a student from a very prestigious clan. How exciting."

"It should be," the old Hokage smiled. "Makoto is a pretty strong young boy. He's pretty smart, but at the same time, he needs work on his genjutsu. Bunpei has a bit of a mouth, and he tends to act before thinking, but he's great with ninjutsu. And Emi... well, she has a lot of potential. She just needs some work."

"Hm... You mean she's no good at pretty much everything."

"What I mean is that she has a great amount of chakra control," Konoha's kage continued. "She would also be very good at genjutsu. She just needs more practice. Her natural talent will emerge sooner or later."

"So she doesn't even have her natural talent yet?" the sensei couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief. "But she's a Tsukanoma! All of them have amazing chakra control, amazing genjutsu and medical skills, _and_ they even have _extra chakra_, and you're telling me she doesn't know how to _do_ all of that yet?"

The hokage frowned. "You should learn to hold your tongue. A little bird might fly by and think it's a worm."

"But Hokage-sama," the young teacher reasoned, "this girl? How in the world did she even pass the genin exam anyways? Pure luck? Or maybe her blood line saved her little-"

"The birdy is watching you!"

The man sighed, rolling his eyes. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama. I'll be nice to the little bunny."

"You better."

"Well, I'll be off then," the chuunin stated, the Hokage acknowledging him with a short nod.

Sandaled foot steps lightly thumping the wooden floor, the young man made his way out the door. "A weakling, eh?" he wondered to himself. "Looks like it's up to the rest of us to save her if her eyes won't... This will be troublesome..."

Age 13

"So that's the shrine?" Makoto asked, his dirty blond hair swept back from the wind.

"No, muscle-head," Bunpei retorted, sarcasm dripping in his voice, "it's a freaking farm house. Of _course_ it's the shrine!"

"Hey, I was only asking if it was the right one!"

"Didn't sound like that to me, muscle-head!"

"Quit calling me that, butt face!"

"Um... guys...?" Emi tried to say.

An aggravated sigh came from sensei's lips. A whiff of wind came and went as fast as it started, and the teacher was now behind the two bickering males. Each hand on each of their heads, he conked them together, receiving a small cry of pain from each of them. "Both of you just shut up. We're on a mission here. If we're caught, we're all dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sensei..." they replied simultaneously.

"Very good. Let's get that scroll now."

Having gotten the intended scroll, the squad headed out, carefully making their way to the only entrance to the shrine. It wasn't until then when sensei held his hand up, signaling the group to stop.

"Enemies are already here?" he pondered quietly to himself. "This will get tricky. I can already tell there's far too many of them for us to handle..."

"What's wrong, sensei?" Emi asked in a whisper.

"Shh, there are enemies out there... We have to be careful..."

"What do we do?"

The teacher thought to himself a moment. With this many surrounding them, there was no way all of them would get out, alive or dead. He could tell that they were all at a level he wasn't at. What he knew was that he could hold them off... but not for long. Someone wouldn't be saved and he wasn't going to be the one to stay. But then he came up with an idea.

"Alright, listen to me. We're all going to split up into two groups..."

"Sensei?" Emi asked quietly as the two snuck around different corridors and walls. "When will we get to the door? Isn't there a window around here?"

"There are no windows here," he answered with a frown. "You'll just have to trust me to get us out of here."

The girl nodded, with an "ok," and continued to follow him. Soon enough, he led her into a room, with a high window.

"Ah, guess there _is_ a window," the teacher smiled and headed over with her. "I'll get up and out first, to open the window and check for any more enemies. I'll pull you up afterwards, alright?"

"Um... Ok, sensei," Emi replied with a nod, for some reason, getting a sickening feeling in her stomach.

The chuunin jumped up to the high window, opening it slowly as he climbed out, scroll in hand. He turned back to her. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to scout around the area and make sure Makoto and Bunpei got out safely."

"A... Alright..." The Tsukanoma family member couldn't help but feel a small wave of fear start to wax inside her. She watched his silhouette slowly disappear from the very little view she could see. And there, she stood eagerly under the window, waiting for her sensei or teammates to come and get her.

"Sensei!" The two boys found their teacher and tried to wave him over without getting the attention of the enemies. "Over here!"

"We have to get out of here now," sensei said quickly, making his way towards the two.

When he approached, Bunpei blinked, seeing what looked like blood staining his tutor's clothes. "Sensei... where's Emi?"

"Emi?" he repeated. "She... She's... She did something quite noble for us."

Makoto frowned. "Noble? Sensei, what do you mean? What did she..."

"She decided to stay as a scape-goat, so we could get out of here and successfully finish the mission."

"What?" the two gaped.

"We have to go back for her, sensei!" Bunpei stated.

"We can't just leave her there!" Makoto added.

"Enough!" the man barked quietly, his tone sharp. "There's nothing we can do. If we go back, we'll all be killed, do you understand? Emi is sacrificing herself for us. Don't let her actions be in vain."

The two sat there silently for a while, knowing it was no good for them to go back.

"...Yes, sensei," the both replied quietly, in a small state of shock. They were going to have to abandon their friend...

"Let's go," the teacher stood with the two. The three then rapidly jumped into the trees, making their way back to Konohagakure.

"Hey, Sasori no Danna?" a blond piped up after some time.

"What is it now, brat?" the puppeteer asked in annoyance. "You have to go pee again?"

"N-no! Jeez!" the younger blushed in embarrassment. "I was just gonna ask if we were close to our destination yet, un!"

"How the heck am I supposed to know?"

"Because you're the one leading this mission, un!"

The red-head sighed. "I'm sure we're almost there."

Deidara let his head rest back on his entwined hands. "Right..."

Silence overtook the two once again. The blond couldn't help but let his eyes wander around the forest. Suddenly he stopped, catching Sasori's attention.

"Danna..."

"What is it?" he asked with a sigh.

"I have to pee, un."

"Ugh! Children!" The puchinello tried not to grit his teeth. "Just... hurry up and go, dang it!"

"Yes, Sasori no Danna~!" the 16-year-old ex-terrorist smiled and left for a tree.

Finally, the two made it to their intended destination. The two looked over the front of the shrine, seeing that there were many guards there, ready to kill whomever tried to steal their treasure.

"Heh heh," the younger chuckled. "This will be fun, un!"

"Be quiet, brat."

"Aw, c'mon, Danna," the blue-eyed teen looked up to his sempai, "I'm sure you can't wait to kill them either, right? Un?"

"Just shut up and let's get the darn scroll already."

"Fine, fine."

The two Akatsuki members made their way to the door. The guards gasped in alarm, one starting to yell orders. The rest followed and went in for attacks.

Though, this was no feat for Sasori no Danna. Being in a gargantuan puppet, he merely controlled the scorpion-like tail to strike at every samurai that approached them.

Deidara decided to try to one-up his Danna by stuffing his hands in his pouches and readying some detonation clay. Once they became little insects, he chucked them at the other samurai.

"Let me show you my art, un!" he declared, making a handsign. "Katsu!"

_Boom! Boom! Boom-boom!_ Each samurai blew up one-by-one. The young blond laughed. "Art is an explosion, un!"

"Do you have to be so loud, brat?" Sasori growled through a masked puppet face. "Let's just go already."

"Sasori no Danna," Deidara started, "you just don't understand that art is fleeting, un!"

"I prefer not to."

"But Danna!"

The two continued to bicker on their way inside. They just seemed to be strolling along, being able to deflect and counter every attacker that went at them.

"Don't toy with us!" one samurai yelled before earning both an explosion and a poisonous stab at and through him.

"Why would we toy around?" Sasori glared.

Deidara grinned at the now dead samurai. "We already _have_ toys! We just merely want to _play with you, _un."

It seemed like hours. Whether each second ticked away or not, Emi couldn't tell. It was starting to get dark, and her team hadn't come back for her yet. Already, the young girl was shaking, sitting on the floor... waiting. She didn't know what to do.

"_I have no skills,_" she thought. "_I can't even jump out..._"

Slowly, she could feel something get heavy around her eyes. Her vision started to blur, getting thicker each time she tried to blink it away. The girl slowly realized that her team was probably in trouble, maybe even gone. If they were there, and safe, they would come to get her, right? ...Right?

A warm liquid dripped and rolled down the sides of her face. The last time she saw her sensei, it was only midday. It was now evening. A loud grumble emerged from her abdomen, and immediately, she held her arm against it, trying to stop it.

"They aren't coming back..." she quietly came to realize. She remembered that everything was still and quiet when her sensei left to scout the area for Makoto and Bunpei. There was no way they were caught. "Makoto..." she sniffled. "Bunpei..." A few more sniffles. "Sensei...! Come back!"

She finally stood up and reached for the wall behind her. She clawed at it, desperately trying to get a hold of it, trying to climb. Each time she tried, she failed. The wall was too flat. She jumped as high as she could, and there was still no luck. The young girl tried again and again and again...

"Ow!" The girl held her finger. Pain struck right through it, feeling almost paralyzed. Having a finger bent back was something so trivial to complain about, but the pain could be so much sometimes.

"Sensei..." she quietly, vainly called out. There was no way anyone was going to find her. It was either she would be stuck here, starved to death, or found by the enemy and probably killed. Either way, both possibilities meant death. And that epiphany made part of her want to give up.

_Boom! Boom! Boom-Boom!_ The girl suddenly blinked, lifting her head from her fetal position. _Boom! Boom!_

"Wh... What...?" Emi watched the closed door, wondering what was going on outside of the dark room. Shouts and more explosions were heard, getting closer each time. The small girl got onto her hands and knees, cautiously crawling over to the wall near the door to hear everything better. Just as she was about to press her ear against the cold wall-

_KA-BOOM!_

"AIE!" she jumped away as far as she could from the door that suddenly bursted into millions of shattered pieces. Her purple-blue eyes looked up, finding two dark figures standing there a moment before they proceeded to take a few steps inside. Emi wasn't sure if the shaking she felt was from a sort of aftershock from the explosion, or if it was her.

"Hm?" The seemingly tallest of the two looked over in her direction. Yellow hair gleamed dimly from the low light outside of the room. "Hello, what do we have here, un?"

"What are you talking about, brat?" the shorter, yet bigger of the two asked. "Did you find the scroll?"

"No, Danna," he replied, "I found a girl, un."

"What? A child?"

"Un!"

"Deidara, don't let your silly teenage hormones get in the way of the mission..."

"That's not it!" the younger yelled, motioning to the girl with a finger. "I'm serious! A girl is sitting right there, un!"

The scarier of the two looked over at Emi. She gasped slightly, frozen in place. Oh, how she wished she could be at home!

The puppet man studied her a moment. "She's not important. We need to get that scroll."

"We're just gonna leave her?" Deidara blinked. "But Danna, she looks like she's been trapped in here for a while... Can't we just, you know... let her out, un?"

"You've already blown up the door," he reminded the blond bomber. "I think that's enough."

"Ok, ok, un."

"Let's go."

The two turned their backs and headed out of the room. Another epiphany had hit the small girl after some of her fear had subsided. The boy blew up the door... It wasn't locked anymore... And if they were able to get in, then it meant she had a chance to get out.

Without thinking, the girl quickly, shakily stood up and started towards the now empty door frame. If she followed the two, she'd be able to get out and, hopefully, get home. Her eyes scanned the hallways. They were littered with dead bodies, blood splattered all over the floor and walls.

Feeling lightheaded, she covered her mouth and did what she could to avoid looking at the details. Emi spotted the same two people up ahead and quickly followed them, trailing behind. The lavender-haired girl hoped they wouldn't notice.

After some time of searching, the Akatsuki members realized that the scroll was no where in the shrine.

"Darn it," Deidara made a face. "Someone must have taken it already, un."

"Great."

"Should we set up camp, then, un?"

"Hmmm," the puppeteer grumbled. "I guess we don't have a choice."

"Alright! Time to go camping, un!"

The puppet master sighed. Was this brat _ever_ going to shut up?

"AAAHH!" a high pitch scream suddenly resounded from the halls. The two looked over in the direction of the echo, their full attention on it.

"So loud..."

"It sounds like that girl, un," Deidara said thoughtfully.

"You'd think anything was a girl with that testosterone of yours," the puppeteer replied.

"Hey!"

Soon enough, the pair heard footsteps and looked back to see the small girl running. A samurai chased the young kunoichi down the hall, heading towards them. The samurai held up his katana, his growl growing in volume.

"Get back here you little rat!"

Emi let out a scream, desperately attempting to get out of the way, only to stumble over a body.

"HAAA!"

"NO!" Her eyes shut tight as the warrior swung at her. She waited, anticipating at any moment to feel the cutting of the blade, the sharpness of the pain, warm liquid oozing out as she lay there, waiting to die...

_CLANG!_

Emi's purple-blue eyes burst open a short moment after, realizing that the samurai had yet to lay his cold, metallic, arm-like weapon upon her. It was far too quick of an action, but when she looked, all she could see was a metal tail in front of her.

"...Eh...?" she breathed in disbelief. The girl's eyes followed the tail up to the round bulge of a body, her gaze finally laying on the face of the source. A lump in her throat formed when she studied the cold, harsh eyes of the masked man. This scary, indifferent shinobi saved her?

"Now then, would you really hurt a little, defenseless girl?" his gruff voice asked rhetorically.

"Wow, Danna, I didn't think you actually cared, un," the blond blinked in surprise.

"I don't," he replied emotionlessly. "He's just going to become a problem later." The tail shifted, swinging towards the samurai, piercing him in the chest. The man cried out as his body fell to the floor. "We're leaving."

"Yes, Danna..." Deidara looked back to the young girl. He began to give her a small smile.

"Come on, brat! Don't make me wait for you."

"I'm coming, un!" the blond began to follow his master, but quickly looked behind him to give the girl a final smile before bouncing towards the other.

The little girl sat there bewildered. That... man... Whatever he was... He really just saved her? And the younger boy, seemingly a bit older than her, seemed nicer, at least... Maybe they were actually good people, she pondered. If they really were nice, despite the lack of emotion from the scary one, maybe they would lead her back to the village? Or maybe there was a place she could stay nearby until she could find her way home?

Suddenly, young Emi found herself making the decision to follow them.

Emi found herself a short distance away from the camp the two had set up. She watched as a fire grew to a humble height. Just watching it gave her chills, feeling a small, feeble warmth attempt to go throughout her body. The girl found herself wishing she could join the two, just to be able to be enveloped with the fire's embracing warmth.

"Hey, Danna, I'll be right back," Deidara stated as he stood up from eating his food.

"Where are you going, brat?" the puppeteer asked, now out of Hiruko and fixing the parts of the puppet that needed tending to.

"I'm going pee, un."

"Ugh..." he sighed again. "Do you really have to tell me that?"

"Well, you asked, un," he shrugged.

"Just hurry up, you disgusting little vermin."

"Oh, be nice, un!" he called back as he headed towards the trees. Emi gasped lightly when she saw that the boy was coming closer to the direction she hid. Panic arose in her body as her thoughts stumbled over each other, trying to organize and figure out what she should do, where she could hide.

"Hm? Hey, it's you again!" Deidara gaped a bit in disbelief.

"Who are you talking to, brat?" Sasori called out. "Don't tell me you've cracked already..."

"Danna, it's the girl again, un!"

"That child again?"

"Yeah!"

"Don't make me whack that testosterone of yours back where it should be, brat."

"Hey! I'm serious! She's really there, un!"

"So your testosterone is rationalizing."

"Is not, un!" Deidara glared and looked back at the scared girl. "So what do we do with her, Danna, un?"

"Well, for one, I knock your head out of the gutter..."

"I don't mean _that_, un!" he shouted. "For all you know, maybe it's _your_ head that's in the gutter, you pedo!"

"Shut up, brat," the elder yelled in irritability. "I am _not_ perverted!"

"Lies, un!" The young, retired terrorist bomber huffed. "Now, quit avoiding my question. What are we going to do with her, un?"

"Just kill her," Sasori grumbled in utter annoyance. "It's not like she'll live much longer anyways."

"Danna!"

"What?"

"She's just a _girl_, Danna," Deidara reasoned, glancing at the partial fear-stricken, confused girl. "And if you ask me, she seems weak enough as it is, un."

"Isn't that the point?" The puchinello didn't look up from his prized puppet. "Survival of the fittest...?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Aw, come on, Sasori no Danna! She probably just wants to go home, un!"

"Seeing how she was stuck in that room," Sasori started, "and that the samurai at the shrine attacked her, she was probably on a mission."

"So, she's a kunoichi, un," Deidara replied. "I knew that already. She has a forehead protector, un."

"Then you know where she's from," Sasori stated skeptically.

"Yeah," he nodded. "She's from Konohagakure."

"Then she's the enemy."

"Like she'd make much of an enemy, un!"

"U-um.." Emi started.

"She could be tricking us, didn't you even think of that, brat?"

"You're so paranoid, Danna! Un!"

"I am not. Situations like that have happened before."

"E-excuse me..."

"She probably doesn't even know who we are, Danna! The girl looks a little too young to have heard of the Akatsuki, un!"

"Well, _now_ she knows, brat!"

"Well, we can't kill her, un!"

"She's a kunoichi."

"A _weak_ one, un!" A pause came for a short moment before the bomber then added: "She's a Tsukanoma, Danna! Pein-sama might want to see her, un!"

Sasori, too, paused and looked over at the two. His calm brown eyes holding a soft red glow from the fire. Emi blinked when she got the epiphany that this young boy was inside of that horrifying thing. "How would you even know that, brat?" he asked.

"I know many things, Danna," Deidara stated. "And she has blue in her eyes, un. Only the Tsukanoma clan has blue in their eyes, along with their original eye color."

"How can you be so sure?"

"My dad went face-to-face with a Tsukanoma once. He told me everything he could find out about them, un."

"Uh huh..." Sasori replied skeptically. "And what's so special about her eyes?"

"They hold extra chakra, un!"

"Extra?"

The blond nodded again. "The extra chakra in their eyes helps them fight and do medical jutsus for longer periods of time, un."

"I see..."

"So can we keep her, Danna, un? _Please?_"

Defeated, knowing that the brat was right about how Pein would want to see such a gifted person as that girl, sighed. "Fine. But don't make me kick you where your testosterone would hurt most, corrupted little brat."

"DANNA!"

"Eh?" The small kunoichi, Emi Tsukanoma, was now completely confused. Did they just say they were going to take her away? The boy with blond hair turned to her and knelt down to meet her at eye level.

"So, what's your name, un? I'm Deidara!"

"Eh? I'm... Um... I'm Emi..." There was no sense in telling him she was a Tsukanoma. He already knew.

"How come you were at the shrine, un?"

"Um... I-I was on a.. mission... My sensei went to get my teammates and they never came back..."

Deidara blinked, figuring out what had most likely happened in a snap, judging from her character. "Oh... That's too bad, un."

"Please, I just want to go home," she pleaded quietly. "Do you know which way Konoha is?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not a map, girly," he replied, his hands up half-way in defence. "Either way... you won't be able to go back, un."

"Wh-why not?"

"Think about it: You were stuck in a room and they didn't come get you... They probably got held up by the enemy elsewhere and thought they got to you by then too, un."

Was that it? She wondered. Did they get attacked in an area that wasn't anywhere near where she could hear? It was entirely possible. But if they thought the enemies got to her, then...

"Then... they think I'm..."

"Dead?" he nodded to confirm. "Yeah, un. It's very possible."

She paused, thinking on it more. "Then they probably told everyone else..."

"You still have an option," Deidara started, figuring he might as well cut to the chase. "You could come with us, un?"

Emi thought on this for a moment. She could go back home and let her family know that she was alive and well. Her teammates and her friend Naruto would probably be excited to see her.

But there was no way she'd be able to keep her honor from what had happened earlier that day. Everyone would probably hate her even more.

"Um... Ok," she finally decided, second thoughts still lingering. "I'll... I'll come."

The boy grinned. "Great! We'll head out first thing tomorrow, un."

"Who are you to decide when we leave, brat?" Sasori finally opened his mouth.

"I know you wouldn't oppose, Danna. You hate waiting, un."

The red-head shrugged after a moment. "True."

Later, the boy named Deidara had finally fallen asleep. The lavender-haired girl sat there, wondering what kind of life the world was going to have in store for her now.

"It's rude to stare," a voice said, startling her out of her train of thought. She didn't realize that her gaze was right on the red-headed boy, Sasori.

"A-ah, I'm not staring, I'm just watching!" she responded quickly. "Er, th-the fire, I mean!"

He gave her a weird look. "Sure... You should get some rest."

"R-right..."

As she lay down and slowly drifted to sleep, she had come to realize something she had forgotten. She forgot to tell the boy...

Purple-blue eyes watched as the sun slowly rose into the sky ahead of them. Too many thoughts were running through her mind to the point where she just felt numb after only a few hours. Emi had almost no idea what she was even doing anymore.

_Bump! _

"Oh!"

The girl looked up to find Sasori glaring down at her. "Watch where you're walking... And quit following me."

Emi stumbled over her words before she could finally speak. "I-I'm not following you, you're just ahead of me!"

"BAHAHAHAHA!" Deidara laughed heartily. "That's a good one, un!"

"Shut up, brat!" Brown eyes glared at the blue-eyed boy.

"But it's too funny, un!" he grinned. "Who knew someone like _her_ could say something like _that_ to _you_, Danna?"

Sasori just sighed irritably. "Let's just keep going. We're almost there..."

The three had finally reached the headquarters. Emi looked around at the cloudy sky as they headed into the building.

"Is this Amegakure?" Emi pondered to herself out loud. She had heard that Amegakure was always... well... cloudy and rainy.

"It is," the puppeteer answered simply, he and his partner leading the girl inside.

"Ok, follow me, un!" Deidara smiled, leading her down dim hallways and corridors. One light bulb, Emi noticed, continually flickered, followed by more flickering light bulbs here and there. She wondered why they hadn't changed the lights yet if the balls of glass were about to die out.

After what seemed like traveling through a maze, the blond boy stopped her. "Here we are." he said before knocking. Someone that the girl couldn't quite make out through the darkness of the room behind them answered the door. "I need to talk to Pein-sama," Deidara stated. "I have someone he might want to meet, un!"

"Alright," a calm female voice said, her voice soothing, almost motherly. "Come in."

The door opened wider, enough for the two to walk in. He turned to the younger. "Wait here, un!" And with that, he walked into another room, a door already open for him.

It seemed like almost forever as Emi waited for the slightly older boy. In the mean time, she took the authority to look around at her surroundings, now that her vision was adjusting to the dark. There didn't seem to be much. It looked like there were a couple bookshelves here and there. A desk. A couple chairs. She wondered if this room was supposed to be a sort of office.

A click was heard from behind her.

"Emi, Pein-sama wants to see you," the blond's familiar voice said. She could tell through his tone that he was smiling. Slowly, she made her way to the door, trying to watch her step.

"Whoa! Careful, un!" He held his arm out to catch her before she could walk into the wall beside him. "The door is over here, un. There's a window, so just follow the light from there, ok?"

"G-gomen," she replied as she let him lead her into the room. There, she found a silhouette with spiky hair.

"Sit down," the male voice of whom she figured was "Pein-sama" said. She did as she was told, being able to see a chair, thanks to the light that Deidara had pointed out.

"Your name is Tsukanoma Emi?"

"Um, yes... sir..."

"Deidara told me a bit about what he knew about your clan. I'd like you to confirm it," he explained. "Tell me about your clan."

There was something about this man that intimidated her, Emi noticed. This leader, Pein, he seemed to have a sort of poker face, even without having to look at him. She suddenly noticed his eyes. they had rings all about them and gleamed a pale purple in the grey light. Sure, she knew of Kekkei Genkai such as Sharingan and Byakugan, but his eyes... They were something completely different.

"I... Our clan... We... We have extra chakra," she replied cautiously. "They're stored in our eyes... It usually helps us when in battle or if we have to use medical ninjutsu for a long time..."

"And what of you? Can you do such techniques?"

"Um... n... no..."

"Hm..." he hummed thoughtfully, his pale eyes narrowing. "I would like you to stay here," he finally spoke. "There's someone here that I believe can probably help you develop your skills."

"Huh?" Why did his voice seem softer than when he first spoke? He wasn't demanding either...

"I'm going to have you train under a new medic nin that we have, Aina," he said again. "I believe she can help you. Will you stay?"

"Um... A-are you sure you want me to?" Emi asked slowly. "I-I'm very clumsy, and-"

"That doesn't matter. I would like you to stay. I can already tell that you have great potential."

Emi froze. This mysterious man was actually acknowledging her? No one had done that. No one but Iruka-sensei, her mother, and Naruto. She knew Naruto would acknowledge her because they were in the same boat. Her mother did that because she was her mother. That's just how she was. And Iruka, because she was his student. At least, that's what Emi thought. But a complete stranger?

"I-I..." the girl thought with care. She suddenly remembered that with her being "dead," there was no way she could go home, let alone have anywhere else to go. "I'll stay."

Pein-sama nodded. "Thank you. You may go and meet the rest of the members now. Welcome to the Akatsuki, Emi."

AN: Holy epic chapter, Batman! I hope you all liked this chapter as much as you seemed to like Aina's backstory chapter. Let us know what you think of Emi now that you know where she came from! And who do you like better, Aina or Emi? We promise to not be offended with either pick, we love both characters. I, personally, think they both have some very cool qualities and they compliment each other well. I don't know about Sakura, but I wouldn't be able to pick which one I like better. Aina's so strong, but Emi's so sweet and adorable...So REVEIW! Ariagatou!

~Nino and Sakura


	23. Beauty and the Beast

AN: Oh, snap! Another chapter within a week? That's crazy! Well, we have a new chapter for you! Glad to see responses liking the last chapter! Sorry we were so mean as to throw that in the middle of all this epicness, but I promise you this chapter continues where we left off in chapter 20, so, I'll just let you guys get reading!

Chapter 22: Beauty and the Beast

The door slammed shut as Sasori entered his room. He began to pace around the small room, thoughts flying at a thousand miles per hour. His emotions were mixed; anger towards Deidara and Aina, worry towards Emi, frustration at himself...his head was feeling foggy as he attempted to think things through.

'Now Emi knows...she knows the truth. What is she going to think of me? Will she hate me, love me in return? Will she cower away in fear? What if I never get to see her again? Her smile...her laughter...would I ever be able to talk to her again?'

"Get a hold of yourself!" the puppeteer yelled out loud to himself. His hands reached for his head, fingers grabbing to red hair, like he was trying to keep his head attached to the rest of him.

'If Emi loved me, things would be bad. She'd have to find out the truth. But, maybe if she didn't love me back, we could still be friends, right? I mean, she wouldn't just throw away all we've done together, right? She'd still talk to me, and she'd still do things with me...just maybe not visit me in the middle of the day...she'd only see me when there were others around...right?'

Never before had the puppeteer wished to be able to sleep. Maybe a rest was all he needed to clear his head. He would never be able to truly fall asleep, but at least he could rest his eyes for a little bit, let his thoughts wander. He let his head fall to the pillow after sitting on the small bed. His brown eyes closed as he let himself drift away for a while.

:::::

"You think they're gonna be ok?" Aina asked, sitting next to her boyfriend on his bed. The two had been sitting there for a good hour or so in silence.

"I...really don't know, un," he responded quietly.

"I hope they are...if not, I'm gonna feel really guilty."

"Me too, I mean, we were just trying to help them. I had no idea Sasori no Danna would get _that_ upset at us...or that Emi would be right outside the door, un."

"Talk about irony! I had no idea she was there either. Sneaky ninja..."

"She learned from you, un."

Aina giggled a little. "And she learned well."

"Well, if I know Danna as well as I do, he'll at some point tell her the truth face-to-face, since she already knows, and the two of them will talk it over. Everything will be ok in the end, un," the blond looked over to the kunoichi, giving her a small smile.

The green-haired girl couldn't help but smile back. "I'm sure you're right. They love each other, we know that much. Now, things are just being set in motion."

"Let's just hope when the dust settles, Danna isn't blood-thirsty. You know he'll come for us, un."

"Deidara, this is why it was called project: TOAD. To our awesome demise! We knew this was gonna happen."

Deidara raised his hand to his chin, pondering for a moment. "You know, doing that was pretty much like signing the papers for our funerals, wasn't it, un?"

"And giving them permission to do whatever they want with our dead bodies," she added.

"Ugh! He's gonna turn us into puppets, un!"

"Ew!"

Both ninja found themselves cringing in fear. No one ever wanted to be a part of Sasori's collection. After a minute, the two looked to each other once again, and began to laugh.

"Wow, we are really pessimistic, aren't we, un?"

"Seems like it. Well, I think there's some more Mountain Dew..."

"That sounds good right about now, un."

:::::

Emi's small hand reached down to the small flower, but careful not to touch the petals. The small garden she and Aina had been working on for a while now was truly growing beautiful, and made for a great place to think. She could still hear Sasori saying those words...

"...Look, I love Emi; I love her more than anything else in this world," he had said just hours earlier. Not to her, but she still heard them. Did her Danna really feel this way for her? Did he really return the feelings she's had for years towards him?

"But she so...pure. I don't want to taint her!" he'd finished his small speech with.

'What did he mean by that..."taint?" Would he really have a secret so dark it would "taint" me? What is he hiding from everyone?' Emi questioned to herself. 'He wouldn't even tell Deidara...who knew everything about him...'

The purple haired girl reached for a small watering can, and watered some of the medical herbs that made up the garden. They probably needed the water, Aina was a little forgetful at times.

'What would he do if I tried to talk to him?' she questioned next. 'Would he listen to me, or would he try to ignore it? Maybe he's mad at me...he didn't want me to hear that.'

Thinking for a while more, Emi made up her mind.

"I will talk to him. I'll tell him I love him."

She stood up, and with conviction, began for the puppeteer's room.

:::::

Emi walked down the hallway, on her way to see the possibly angered Sasori no Danna. Anxiety slowly started to creep up on her with each and every step.

'What if he doesn't want to see me?' she thought. 'He might slam the door on me before I can even walk in...'

She sighed, closing her eyes briefly, hoping for some sort of reassurance, something to calm her pounding heart down. It wasn't until she hear an unfamiliar tune play into the halls.

"A piano?" she blinked, noticing how the music got softly louder as she walked closer. The young medic suddenly found that the tune was coming from the Akatsuki bomber's room. "What...? Why would classical music be playing in there...?"

As she got closer, she peeked into the doorway. The lights were off as the music played. Needless to say, the young girl was confused.

"Aina...? Deidara...?" she softly called out.

"Oh, Emi!" Aina's voice suddenly rang. "Hi!"

"Um.. Hi..." Emi replied, utter confusion on her face and in her voice. "Aina... What are you two doing...?"

"We're sleeping together!"

"WHAT?"

"Emi! Emi, calm down!" Aina laughed a bit. "We're sleeping together _literally_, not _figuratively_."

"W-with the door open? Aina-"

"She means we're sleeping next to each other, Emi, un," Deidara explained to the young girl. "I love you Aina, but sometimes you worry me."

"You can't deny the look on her face was priceless," the green-haired medic grinned.

"Meh," he shrugged, chuckling, "true, un."

"You.. you guys..." Emi was at a complete loss for words. She really didn't know what to think of the couple that had almost given her a heart attack...

"Aw, come on Emi," Aina giggled. "Deidara and I are gonna die, you see! We wanted to at least do _something _we've always wanted to do before we die!"

"I... I don't understand..."

"You don't have to," Deidara laughed. "Just smile and nod, un."

"B-but..."

"What are you up to anyway?" the elder of the two girls asked with a grin, though she figured what it'd probably be.

"Ah..." the younger blushed. "I'm... I'm going to see Sasori no Danna..."

"Oh, tell him we said 'hi!' We'll be waiting here for him to kill us," she grinned.

"What?"

"He already looks like he's about to, un," Deidara added. "I know he'll try."

And that's what did it. Emi's eyes widened and she, without thinking, burst off into a run the rest of the way to Akasuna no Sasori's room.

Without knocking, she slammed the door open. "DANNA!"

"Whoa! What?" His eyes shot open, jumping out of his bed.

"DON'T KILL THEM, DANNA!" Emi shouted, running to cling on him in hopes to keep him from doing so. "Don't kill them!"

"Emi, kill who?" Sasori's face was bewildered.

"Aina and Deidara! They said that you were going to kill them and that they're waiting in Deidara's room and-"

"Emi, Emi, I'm not killing anyone!" Sasori grabbed at her shoulders to pull her away, gaining her attention. "I never said I'd kill them... yet..."

"Danna!"

"I won't kill them, alright? Though, Deidara may get a punch in the face... He's had it coming for four years now... As for the rest, it's still up in the air."

"D-Danna...!"

"Just calm down," he sighed. "I promise I won't kill Aina."

"Oh... ok... wait, you can't make that promise about Deidara?"

"Emi... _Four_ years... For four years, he's had this punch coming at him!"

"But Danna..."

"If he's lucky, he'll just get away with a broken nose."

"Danna!"

"Ok, ok, I'll stop..." he sighed, followed with a quiet mumble, "Still going to punch him though..."

"Hmm..." She made a slightly skeptic, yet concerned face. "If you say so..."

"I do say so..."

"Um.. Alright then..." she started backing off, heading towards the door. "Um... See you later then."

The red-head nodded as she closed the door behind her. Once he heard the door click shut, he sighed. If anyone was going to give him a heart attack twice in one day, it was always going to be Emi. Sweet, little, innocent Emi who couldn't hurt a fly.

:::::

Emi passed by Deidara's room once more as she made her way back to her room. "Hey, Aina, Deidara?" she called in.

"Yeah, un?"

"Danna said he isn't going to kill you two... But, you may want to watch out for your nose, Deidara..."

"Uh... Alright, un?" The blond suddenly knew what was coming from her warning. "He's gonna try to break it... un..."

"Heh heh, have fun with that," Aina grinned.

"Why do I love you again?"

"I'll fix your nose for you after he breaks it?"

"Oh, thanks, Aina," he said sarcastically. "I _love _knowing when you have my back, un..."

"Anyways!" Aina turned her attention back to her friend. "Did you tell Sasori yet?"

"Eh?" The lavender-haired girl felt as if something had dropped on the top of her head. "Tell him what...? OH NO, I FORGOT TO TELL HIM!"

"Forgot to tell who what?" a voice asked from behind.

"AH! Sasori no Danna!" Emi gasped as she turned around, looking at said man. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to get the newspaper..." he slowly replied. "I read that on a day-to-day basis."

"Ah, yes, you do! Well, I-I...um...I won't stop you!"

"I'm...glad?" his face was perplexed as he continued down the hall towards the kitchen.

"We-well then..." Emi's purple-blue eyes found themselves averting to the floor beside her. "I-I'll be going... Have to make.. dinner...!" Quickly, she walked off, making her way to the kitchen.

"Um.. alright?" Sasori replied, following her.

A few moments later, she realized said man was following her. "D-don't follow me!"

Sasori looked baffled; he felt his heart squeeze with discomfort. "I'm not following you, you're just ahead of me."

Emi blushed, realizing he had just used words that she once used on him. How in the world did he remember such a thing?

"Ah.. G-gomen! I just... uh..." she trailed off. Once again, she hit the brick wall of realization. "O-oh.. the newspaper is in the kitchen..."

"Yeah, Emi..." Sasori confirmed for her. "It, in fact, is in the kitchen."

"R-right..."

"Emi, are you alright-"

"OH! I-I forgot! I need to get some groceries for dinner tonight! See you later, Danna!" The girl quickly left the room.

The man watched her in confoundment. "Emi... is going to walk five miles... to get groceries... five miles away..."

:::::

Stepping outside, Emi started with a good pace towards the village. About twenty steps into her journey, she felt herself realize something...

The next village was five miles away.

She resisted the urge to smack her forehead as she slowly turned around to head back to the base.

'Still...what am I going to make for dinner?' she pondered as she headed in the door. She made her way down the hallway until she reached the door to the kitchen.

"Back already?" she heard the familiar voice asked from inside the room. "Didn't know Aina's training was that impressive."

"Ah, well...I figured that, maybe, I could...ah, make something out of what we...ah, have here..."

"Probably not the worst idea I've heard of. Kakuzu can't get mad at you for spending unnecessary money, after all," the puppeteer reasoned.

"Yeah, it'd be nice to not have him mad at me..." she began, her voice drifting into a whisper, "or anyone else for that matter..."

'What am I doing?' Emi's voice shouted in her head. 'You were going to tell him you love him and instead you're avoiding him? Come on, Emi! It's three words! I! Love! and You! That's it! What could be so hard about putting them together?'

"What was that last part you said?" Sasori asked, bringing Emi back to reality. "I missed it after the 'it'd be nice to not have him mad at me' part."

"Oh, um...!" she fought for a response. "Or infuriated for that matter...I think."

"Hm, that wouldn't be good, either," he spoke as he lifted the paper again, continuing to read the article.

"Well, anyways...I think I'm gonna...get back to cooking dinner now, heh heh..."

"Have fun," Sasori responded. "Don't burn yourself."

"I-I wont, I promise," she smiled back to him.

:::::

After an hour of awkward silence, Emi managed to prepare a meal for the Akatsuki. She managed to find the ingredients needed to make some sushi and soba, though she did have to have Sasori help her reach the soy sauce. The dinner was now laid out across the table, ready to be eaten.

She walked down the hallways, poking her head into the different rooms. "Time to eat," she'd tell them before moving on to the next room. Slowly, everyone managed their way to the kitchen to gather their food. Sasori, however, had taken his paper to the living room, so as to be "out of the way," as he put it.

"Hm! This is really good!" Aina grinned with puffed out cheeks. "Yum~!"

"Emi is really good at cooking, isn't she?" Hidan asked before stuffing another small sushi into his mouth.

"Better then some people here," Kakuzu grumbled as he sat next to the Jashinist.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!"

"It means a lot, I don't think I need to explain myself."

"Anyways," Kisame attempted to end the argument that was about to unfold. "I think you did a fantastic job, Emi!"

"Arigatou, Kisame."

"You gonna sit and eat with us?"

"Actually, I'm not hungry at the moment. I'll eat later," she gave the shark man a fragile smile.

"Uh.. ok?"

"Ah, come on, Emi!" Aina called out, her mouth now only partially puffed out with food. "Don't tell me you didn't do it yet!"

"Do what?" Itachi raised a black eyebrow.

"N-nothing!" Emi's face went red. "I didn't do anything! I-I don't know what you're talking about, Aina!"

Said girl smiled. "Uh huh, sure. Just do it already."

"Aina!" Emi continued mumbling nonsense in a muffled squeaky voice.

"You have to say it eventually..."

More high-pitched squeakiness.

"Eventually, it's gonna come out, you're gonna have to tell S-mmph!" Aina found herself in slight confusion when she found she couldn't say the words out loud.

"D-Don't! Say it!" Emi's hand was clamped over said girl's mouth. Emi's face was as red as ever. "Don't even think about saying it!"

"What, that eventually you're gonna have to tell Sasori no Danna that you love him, un?" Deidara spoke up, completely aware of the situation.

The young girl looked at him, all at once, completely pale, red, and horrified. "DEIDARA!"

It wasn't long before the blond suddenly found a fist speeding right towards his face.

"GAAAHHHH!" Deidara leaned back in his chair, falling backwards. "OW!"

In moments, the small girl had left the room, leaving all of the members of the Akatsuki, save for Sasori, to stare in complete and utter confoundment after the girl. Deidara was left on his chair... on the floor... in pain.

"Pfft..." came a small laugh. "Pfft... Bahahahahaha!" The loud one, Aina, started to laugh harder and harder with each passing second. Deidara finally got himself up and glared at his girlfriend.

"Why are you _laughing_, Aina?" He held his nose; his voice sounded plugged. "She just punched me, un!"

"That's the point!" she laughed heartily. "She's _never _done that!"

"So, she really does have feelings for him, hm?" Itachi brought his hand up to his chin thoughtfully.

"It was only a matter of time," Konan said softly.

"You guys are _seriously _not worried about the fact that she _punched_ me, un?"

"Not really," Kisame answered with a shrug.

"Tobi is worried for sempai~!" Said man stood up to give his sempai a hug.

"NO! BAD TOBI, UN!"

"Aw...but sempai, Tobi is-"

"NO! I don't even want to hear it! Now, why aren't you healing me already, Aina, un?"

Aina fought back some more laughter. "It's...it's just too funny! You got punched by Emi!"

"You are all just awesome! I'm just gonna go and bleed to death THROUGH MY NOSE, UN!"

"Well, now Sasori won't be the one to kill you," the green-haired girl pointed out.

Deidara puzzled over that for a moment. "I can't tell which is worse, him or Emi, un..."

"Well," Hidan started, standing up. "I say Emi can have the 'Hero of the Day' award! That was the best thing I've seen in weeks!"

"Why you little...get back here, un!" Deidara began to chase after the Jashinist, who began to run down the hallways.

:::::

"Hmm..." Sasori puzzled, pencil resting against his chin. "...what's a four letter word for agape...?" The crossword puzzle was almost complete, except this one four letter word. Sasori's problem...it started with an 'L."

"Agape typically means open...but open starts with 'O,' not 'L.'" He began to think. "Maybe it's...a different language? Sometimes they do that...hm, but now what language..."

Another moment of pondering went by. "Ah, Greek! Why did that take me so long? In Greek, agape means love! And love starts with 'L!'" He quickly wrote the word in, looking at his finished puzzle.

"Wow, could they have picked any other word for that spot?" the puppeteer asked himself, looking at the word 'love.' His eyes couldn't seem to look away from that one word. "I'm never going to be able to think this through, am I?"

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, his mind wandered to the young purple-haired kunoichi. It was like she was constantly there, never leaving.

'My, she was acting strange today...she seemed so upset when she thought I was going to kill Deidara...though I still might do that...but then just a short bit later, she was at a loss for words when talking to me, stumbling more than usual to say what she wanted to say. You've surely done it now, Sasori. She's so confused, she doesn't know what to think.'

"DEIDARA!" the familiar voice screamed from the kitchen. Sasori would be able to pinpoint that voice from anywhere. But...

Why did she sound so angry?

Sasori raised a brow as he heard the blond bomber cry out in what must have been pain shortly after. He slowly set the newspaper down on the coffee table and got up to see what happened.

As he neared the kitchen door, Hidan burst through it, a silly grin plastered on his face. Deidara was soon to follow, but stopped to look at the red-head.

"What's going on?" Sasori questioned the blond.

"Ok," Deidara started, voice sounding funny from him plugging his nose. "So Emi punched me really hard, then everyone started laughing and Hidan decided she should get the 'Hero of the Day' award, whatever that is, and so-"

"Wait, _Emi_ punched you?"

"Yeah, un..."

"And you're nose is now bleeding?"

"Yeah, un..."

Sasori simply stared at the blond for a moment, before laughter over-took him. It wasn't quite as loud as Aina, but a laugh none the less.

"Oh, you too, Danna, un?" Deidara looked about ready to explode. "Awesome! I'm just gonna get no love, am I, un?"

"Isn't that what Aina's for...?"

"She just laughed and said it was too funny to heal me, un!"

"I knew there was a reason I liked her..."

"Gah! You are all horrible people, un!" Deidara stormed down the hallway.

Sasori watched as he disappeared around a corner. "Well, thanks, Emi. Now I don't have to punch him...though I might just for the cruel irony."

The puppeteer proceeded to enter the kitchen as the rest of the Akatsuki laughed hysterically at the table. Everyone looked to him when he entered, and the laughter got louder.

"Ok, who wants to fill me in on why Emi punched Deidara in the nose?"

"Well, Deidara told everyone Emi loves you, Sasori-san!" Tobi quickly responded before anyone could stop him.

"What...?" Sasori's eyes widened slightly. He knew she loved him; he's known for a long time. To actually hear it though, was a completely different story.

"I get the feeling this is much more complex than we know," Itachi stated flatly as he stood up, calmly heading for the exit.

"You have no idea..." the red-head barely managed, still shocked as he attempted to figure everything out.

"Well, everything was gonna come out sooner or later," Aina told him, a more serious tone in her voice. "And I know you've known for a long time now, don't look so surprised."

"I...have no idea why this is so hard to grasp."

"Well, my advice is to talk to her. Nothing's gonna get done by avoiding each other."

"I'd have to agree with Aina," Kisame spoke up.

A small murmur of agreement passed through the remaining Akatsuki members.

"I...can't say I disagree with you, Aina," Sasori began, "but you really have no idea how messy this is."

"No, but no mess can be cleaned up until you face it head on, right?" she attempted to smile to him.

"I think I just need a little more time to think. It's hard with all the chaos that happens around here," he responded as he headed for the door.

"Just don't take too long, Emi might get concerned."

:::::

Sasori found himself pacing around his room. For some reason, he felt even more unsettled than before.

"This is ridiculous," he spoke softly, though his voice was thick with tension. "I know she loves me... I _know_ it... And I love her... I confused her... And yet, I can't tell her... I can't tell her straight up..." His read hair shook side-to-side in irritation. "This is so frustrating! Why does this have to be such a mess...?"

He then sat down at his workbench, his head resting in his hands. "If she tells me she loves me... I'd eventually have to tell her about _that_. And if I do, she'll probably realize about the real monster I am... If she says nothing, then maybe it means she's choosing to not love me... Or maybe she thinks I don't love her...? Gah, I don't know!" He took a deep breath. "Maybe I should just tell her I love her... face-to-face... And if she tells me she loves me back, that's her choice... I can probably hide that for a while... But then would she get mad if I kept it from her for too long? Ah... No... Maybe I'll just wait until she's ready... Or..."

Suddenly, a soft knock was heard at the door. He glanced up from his palms.

"Sasori no Danna...?" a small voice sounded from behind his door.

"Emi..." he breathed. "Come in..."

He tried to hide his anxiety, watching the door slowly open. Light purple hair appeared as did the rest of the young girl.

"Emi, I have-"

"I have something to tell you, Danna!" the girl interrupted, her face starting to burn a deep red color.

"Ah... Well, Emi, I... I have something to tell you too."

"Um... Do you want to go first?"

"No, ladies first."

"Er, no, it's fine," Emi blushed. 'No wait, I can't chicken out!'

"I insist," the puchinello insisted.

"Um... Well..." At this point, Emi's palms were sweating, heart pounding. She had to do it. She had to tell him. This was her chance, and she couldn't hold back, now. "Danna, I... um... I-I..." She paused, taking a deep breath. The puppeteer waited patiently, knowing full well what she'd say. "I lo-I love you!"

His breath stopped before they could even escape his lungs... or, at least, what would have been his lungs. He knew it was true all along. He heard _others_tell him. But having Emi tell him? This was just a whole new level to him. Sasori almost didn't know how to respond.

"E-Emi," he stuttered. "I... I don't know that you want to feel that way towards me."

The girl paused. "...Wh-what...?"

"I don't think you want to feel that way towards me," he said again.

"What... do you mean...?"

"I mean exactly as it sounds," he replied. "You don't want to feel that way towards me."

"You're saying I shouldn't love you...?"

"Emi, I'm...I'm a monster, a beast. You don't want to love me if you know what's good for you."

"But Danna, how could you be a monster...?"

"I...Emi, you don't know much about me, do you? About my...collection..." he began to look at the ground in shame.

"Collection? You mean your puppets? Danna, everyone has a collection of some sort... How would it make you any different, with your puppets, nonetheless?"

Sasori couldn't work it up to look her in the eye. "Have you any idea how many puppets I have in my collection?"

"Um... 298... I believe..." Emi struggled only slightly to remember the number. She knew for sure it was almost 300.

"Yes, but...all 298 of them...they are all human puppets. Do you know what that means?"

"They're... made to look like humans...?" The girl could only guess. This had always been her assumption for the three years she's lived with the Akatsuki.

"That's...partly right," he began, "but that's not all of it. Being a human puppet, it's...it's like...well, they are created with...actual humans."

A long pause came over the younger. She could feel her breath get caught between her lungs and her throat. It took her a moment to remember how to speak. "W... What? Actual... humans...?"

"I once started as a human. Then I began to replace parts of me with puppet parts, until all that was left of my human self was my heart." His hand raised to touch the heart container on the left side of his chest. "The idea was inspired by some work I had done with the Puppet Cor. back in Sunagakure. We began researching the idea of human puppets, and well...that's how it all started." He finally managed to raise his head, looking her purple-blue eyes intensely with his own brown ones. "Emi, every puppet in my collection, all 298 of them, they are ALL human puppets! Every single one of them...!"

Emi flinched slightly at the tone of his raising voice. Sasori, her Danna, he was a monster? His puppets were actually made from _human beings_? She felt speechless. She wanted to deny the truth of it. "Danna, I... I don't..."

"I'm not expecting you to grasp this all at once, but you need to know the truth. Human puppets start out as humans. Every one of those puppets was a living, breathing shinobi, before I defeated them in battle. I..." his eyes drifted to the floor again. "I've turned almost 300 of them into puppets, puppets I could use in later battles. That's what I am, Emi...a murderer who manipulates the bodies of my foes for my own gain. I'm..."

"...A monster?" Emi finished in a quiet voice. She, too, found herself looking at the floor.

"Yes..." he whispered, before his voice took on a harsher tone. "You should probably go now."

Her purple-blue eyes slowly moved their gaze onto her beloved red-head. Her voice was softer than before. "Sasori no Danna..."

"Emi, please...I-" he paused slightly. "We both probably need some time to think things over."

She stared, letting his words sink in, trying to comprehend. He was right, they needed the time to think. She needed it. Without another word, she took a slow step back before turning to quickly get out of his room. Emi didn't want him to see the heavy tears she felt welling up in her eyes.

"What have I done...?" Sasori asked himself. A pain in his chest grew as he watched her small frame run out of the room and down the hallway. He fell back onto his bed with a slight force. "What have I done...?"

It didn't take long for Emi to reach her room and shut the door behind her. Her eyes were glued to the floor in front of her, trying to blink back the water that threatened to fall from her eyes. Her Danna was a murderer? He used corpses to his benefit? Surely, this was something a monster did...

And yet, she couldn't think of him any differently. At least, from what she thought. She wasn't quite sure what to think anymore. Emi loved Sasori, and he loved her, but because of his collection... he won't let her love him? The small girl sunk to the floor.

She really _did_ need to think.

:::::

AN: Oh noes! What's gonna happen between Sasori and Emi? How much longer do Deidara and Aina have to live? Will Aina even be killed (since we all know Deidara's screwed anyways)! Did Deidara eventually manage to get revenge on Hidan? Will Tobi ever feel loved? Can I come up with any more absurd questions that may never even be answered? Well, I guess you'll just have to wait until the next chapters come up, now wont you? ;) I'm happy to get replies from all of you! Sakura and I love to read what your thoughts are on this story! Don't be afraid to post comments, just because you're new to the story, we still want to hear form all of you! Also, a big ARIGATOU GOZIMASU to both Dawn-of-the-Akatsuki14 and Becka-30! We really appreciate you guys replying consistently! It makes us feel loved! ^-^

To Dawn-of-the-Akatsuki14, we forgive you for your delay in replies, we get very busy too, so we completely understand. I personally am a music major and have three instruments I have to practice for 5 hours a day on...so I know what it's like to get busy!

And to Becka-30, we'll try to update as much as possible, I promise! We are both very busy with college, like I exampled above, and we have a two hour time difference that is not helping. Sakura can't get on until around 8pm, which is 10pm for me, so I'm usually up until 12-1 (Although there was that one time I was up until 3...)in the morning writing and doing homework with her! But we'll update as often as we can!

I also managed to fix my problem, about putting the spaces between scenes! Eventually, when I get unlazy enough, I'll go back and fix the other chapters as well. I do want to say gomenasai one last time for that, I wasn't aware was deleting them until about 5 or 6 chapters ago, when my boyfriend pointed it out to me... o.O So, now that I have something figured out, I'll try to fix that, and it'll stay fixed for later chapters! Domo arigatou gozimasu!

~Nino and Sakura


	24. Fleeting Days, Everlasting Memories

AN: Holy cow, Nino! It's only been a day or two since the last chapter! Yes, I know...you see, we actually finished chapter 22 on, like, friday, and I didn't get around to posting it till, like, monday...it happens. ANYWAYS...This next chapter is pretty fun, so I hope you enjoy it. It's kinda like getting four chapter in one, if you think about it! Well, I'll let you all get started!

Chapter 23: Days are Fleeting, but Memories are Everlasting

Two Points Off Your Charisma

Aina walked down the hallways of the Akatsuki hideout. Being her first time here, everything seemed so new, so different. She was attempting to find her way to her bedroom, which was supposedly at the end of this hallway.

'Turn right down this hallway. Then about half-way down, you'll see a hallway on your left. At the end of this hallway, the second to last door on the right is your room,' Konan, God's Angel, had told the green-haired girl. So, Aina headed to follow the directions.

All of the doorways seemed to look the same. The hallways were all the same grey color too. 'Maybe they'll let me paint my door or something,' she thought to herself as she watched the doors go by.

'I wonder if they'll let me paint the walls of my room too,' she let her thoughts wander. 'From the looks of things, my room's not going to be very colorful...so maybe I can-'

Her thought were dramatically stopped as she collided into something. The force was mostly on her nose, and she quickly reached up to it as she staggered back from the door.

"Ouch..." she mumbled as she started a healing jutsu.

"Hm, what was that, un?" a voice called as a blond man stepped out from the open door she had hit. "Oh, gomen! I didn't know you were there, un!"

"It's fine," Aina quickly responded. "I'll be better in a minute."

"You're the new medic nin, aren't you, un?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, I'm Deidara. Sorry about breaking your nose, un..."

She smiled to him. "It's fine, stuff happens. I'm Aina, by the way."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, un."

"Same."

"I'm also sorry about your charisma points, un,"

"My what?" she looked at him, puzzled.

"Charisma points...Dungeons and Dragons, un..."

"Oh, right!" she realized what he was talking about. "Well, maybe you'll be nice enough to share a couple of yours. Well, I'm off to find my room. See you around!"

She flashed him a big smile as she walked away, still healing her nose. He smiled back to her in return. "Later, un..." he spoke as he thought on her words. 'Can you share charisma points...wait, was that a compliment?'

Oshiete Kudasai!

"Do you have any black eights, un?" Deidara asked, scanning through his cards and eyeing his opposer.

"Go Fish," the green-haired medic nin answered with a grin. "And now I am thinking you are going to give me a red queen."

The blond pulled a card from the 'pond' and looked at her, his mouth agape. "How did you know, un?"

"Well, now I do," she chuckled, holding her hand out. "Hand it over, blondie."

"Gah." He grabbed the red queen from his deck and handed it to her.

"Do you have any-"

"Excuse me?" a soft voice interrupted from behind the door. The two looked over to see who had automatically paused their game.

"Ah, Emi!" the bomber smiled. "Come in, un!"

The small girl walked in and timidly watched the two. She noticed the cards they were holding. "Um.. Did I interfere with anything?"

"Nah, we're just playing a game, un. What brings you here?"

"Konan-san told me to come here to find someone... I think her name was Aina..."

"Hey, that's me!" said girl beamed. "Why would you need to find me, anways?"

"Um... The leader told me to start training under you."

"Really? Training under _me_?" The elder girl blinked, her smile growing ever wider. "Ah! So I see that he's finally acknowledging just how talented I am!"

"Didn't he already acknowledge that, un?" Deidara raised a blond brow.

"Anyways!" The kunoichi decided to ignore the blond's comment. "What's your name?"

"Um... Tsukanoma Emi..." the lavender-haired girl replied.

"Nice to meet ya! I'm Etanaru Aina!" Said girl held her hand out to shake the other's.

Emi complied by shaking her hand, smiling softly. "Nice to meet you too, Aina-san."

"Well, I guess this makes me your sempai now!"

"I suppose so."

"Either way," she added, "There's no need to call me sempai... or Aina-san for that matter. I don't really like formalities."

"Oh... ok?"

"So just Aina from now ok, alright?"

"Um.. Alright, just Aina."

Suddenly a burst of laughter came from behind the two. "Emi, you're so clever, un!"

Aina laughed along. "So, you've got a bit of spunk in you after all! I like that!"

"She did that to Sasori no Danna when we brought her here earlier, un," the boy grinned, causing the other to laugh even more.

"Seriously? That's awesome! I bet Sasori didn't take it too lightly!"

"Meh, he brushed it aside, un," he laughed more, then stopped abruptly. "But he got mad at me for laughing, un..."

"D'aw," the medical kunoichi laughed again. "Sounds like something he'd do!"

"G-gomen.. about that..." Emi spoke up apologetically.

"It's fine, it's fine," Deidara smiled. "Danna gets mad at me a lot anyways, un."

"Anyways, now that I'm your sempai!" Aina changed topic quickly, turning her attention back to the girl. "I say we start training tomorrow!"

"T-tomorrow?" the younger blinked, a bit bewildered that they'd start so soon. The girl wasn't even familiar with where all the rooms in the hideout were.

"Yup! We can meet in my room and I'll start figuring you out from there!"

"Um... alright..."

"Well, Dei and I are gonna go back to playing our game of Go Fish. Want to join?"

"Oh, no, it's ok," the young medic nin answered. "I need to find my room."

"Ah, alright then. I'll see you later, Emi!"

Deidara smiled. "Don't get lost, un."

"I-I won't," she smiled back before walking out the door. She closed said door behind her and looked both ways down the hall. They all looked the same. "...I hope..."

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

"EMI!" Aina yelled as she bursted into the younger's room. The young girl looked up from a drawing she had been working on.

"Yes, Aina?"

"I need your help." She dropped a small stack of papers on the purple-haired girl's desk. "This is what they have for a medical record. Our first mission as members of Akatsuki is to redo the medical records."

"Oh," Emi picked up the papers, beginning to look them over. "Aina...these aren't even complete...and the last date I see is from two years ago."

"I know, that's why this needs to be done. So, what I'm thinking is this: we'll come up with new papers, then we'll call them in one-by-one to work on filling one out for each member."

"Hm! Sounds like a good plan," she smiled to her sempai.

"Awesome! Bacchikoi!"

Emi blinked. "Bacchikoi?"

"It's a song! It means 'let's do it!'"

"Oh, ok. Bacchikoi!"

:::::

"DEIDARA!" Aina called into the family room. The members of the Akatsuki had gathered there to make the job easier for the two medical ninja.

"Guess I'm first, un," he commented as he came back. Aina lead him into a room the two girls fashioned into a medical room.

"Cloak off," she ordered to him. Skeptically, he unbuttoned the cloak, resting it on the back of a chair. "Stand up on this, I need your height and weight." He stood on the metal device, waiting for the green-haired girl to get the information she needed.

"48.2 kg," she stated. Emi, sitting in the corner with a clip-board, quickly wrote the number.

"And...looks like 160 cm for height."

"Got it," Emi smiled.

"Next, she's going to need your birth date and age."

"Um, I'm 16 years old, and I was born on May 5th."

"Now we get to go to the ugly part," Aina stated, gesturing to him to sit on the bed. Deidara felt his heart-rate increase as he sat down. "Within the past year, have you taken any illegal drugs?"

"No, un."

"Within the past year, how much alcohol would you estimate you've consumed?"

"None, un."

"Within the past year, have you been sexually active?"

"WHAT? What kind of question is that, un?"

"An important one, can you just answer it, please?"

"No, un..." the blond grumbled.

"Thank you..."

:::::

"Good luck, Danna, un," Deidara stated as he entered the living room.

"What's that supposed to mean, brat?"

"Oh, you'll see, un."

"Great..." the red-head sighed as he entered the new medical room.

"Hey, Sasori, I need you to take off your cloak and stand on this for me." Aina gestured to the scale again.

The scorpion did as instructed, causing both girls to look at him in confusion. "What, never seen a puppet before?"

"No, can't say I have," Aina responded. "Anyways," she began to study the scale. "47.3 kg."

"Ok," Emi nodded as she wrote the numbers.

"For height, I've got 164.1 cm."

"1...6...4...point...1. Got it."

"All right, you can take a seat here." She gave him a minute to sit on the bed. "We need your birthday and age, first."

"No comment."

"But, Sasori-"

"No, next question."

"Um...ok then, within the past year, have you taken any illegal drugs?"

"I don't consume anything: food, drink, drugs..."

"Oh, well, I'm to assume you've had no alcohol either?"

"No."

"Then I guess we're on to question number three...do I even _want _to know if that's even possible?"

Emi's face turned a deep red as she realized what Aina meant. Sasori's brow raised in skepticalness as the two girls puzzled over the next question.

"Within the past year, have you...been sexually active?" Aina finally managed.

"No, next question."

:::::

"Alright, so what do you want me to do?" Hidan asked as he walked into the room.

"Cloak," Aina answered. "Take it off."

"Oh, I see how it is," he grinned, doing as she said. "Wanting to bask in the greatness of my body, I see!"

"No!" Emi squeaked, covering her eyes.

"Just shut up and get on the scale," the older of the two medical ninjas pointed to the scale.

A chuckle came from the Jashinist's lips as he stepped on, letting the weight balance as Aina checked his height.

"173 cm," Aina stated, Emi writing it down. "54.8 kg. Hidan, you can step off now, and if you could answer some questionable questions without any questionable comments, that'd be great."

"Really? You think that's possible?" Hidan asked with a grin.

"No, I don't, but I'm warning you now." Aina looked over the paper. "Birth date and age."

"April 2. 19 years old."

"Within the past year, have you taken any illegal drugs?"

"No.. Kakuzu won't let me... Drugs cost money..."

"Ooo... k... Within the past year, have you had any alcohol?"

"Kakuzu won't let me..." he answered. "Not even frickin' sake, I mean, seriously! I'm 19 flippin' years old, I should be allowed to drink if I freaking want to!"

"Not really! Geez! Um... Have you been sexually active in the past year?"

"No, but very quickly, we can change that..." he smirked.

"EW!" the two screamed.

"OUT!" Aina shouted. "Just get _out_!"

"Ok, ok!" He got up and started walking out with a grin. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me~"

"EWWW!"

"What did you _do_ to them, Hidan?" Kakuzu asked.

"Eh, you know, gotta scar them while they're still young," the sliver-haired Jashinist replied with a cheesy grin.

"You're unbelievable..."

:::::

"And next we should have Zets-AH!" Aina yelped as the plant-man entered the small room, not bothering to open the door. "Um, you can put your cloak over there and step on the scale, if you don't mind..."

Wordlessly, he stepped onto it. "83.1 kg, and 177cm."

Emi's hand trembled as she wrote it down. "Um, I...ah, I got it."

"Next, we'll need your birthday and age."

"Unknown," the deeper voice responded.

"Wha...?" both girls looked to each other, confused.

"We don't know how old we are or when we were born," the tenor voice, most likely the white half, cleared up.

"Oh, ok then...um, you can just sit here and we'll ask you a couple questions."

"Eh," Emi squeaked quietly as the plant-man sat on the bed, only a few feet away from her.

"In the past year, have you consumed any drugs?"

"No."

"In the past year, have you consumed any alcohol?"

"No."

"In the past year..." (Oh, great, _another_ one I don't want to know...) "...have you been sexually active?"

"Does photosynthesis count?"

Was It Really Women's Intuition or Just Good Luck?

Akasuna no Sasori sat at a table, looking over what seemed to be charts and flasks of different chemicals and herbs. He didn't feel the sensation of itching, but he scratched his head, deep in thought. The puppet master couldn't help but feel an anger boil up inside him, hitting the boiling point of the internal thermometer.

"Agh! This is so frustrating!" he exclaimed, pounding his fists against the table. Viles and flasks rattled from the vibration, the unknown liquids threatening to spill. "Why can't this be right?"

Suddenly, he heard a soft knock on the door, followed by a soft voice. "Sasori no Danna?"

The red-head turned to the door, looking through the doorway of his spacious closet. "Hm? What do you want?"

The girl opened the door slightly, peering in meekly. "Um.. I heard you shout and was wondering if everything was alright...?"

"Everything's fine," he answered, turning back to his work. "Just can't figure something out is all..."

"Like what?" Emi's curious eyes blinked.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to get an antidote to work against a poison..."

"Is that so?" she asked, walking in casually. "What do you have so far?"

The scorpion turned to her with a cautious look, realizing she was right by his side now. "Ah..." He tried to think of how to answer. He didn't want this young little pest to get in his way. "Just what's on the charts here. It's nothing for you to concern yourself with."

"Hm..." She looked over the charts thoughtfully, studying the written contents on the slips of paper. "Oh! I see how it is..."

"You?" The puchinello's eyebrow raised. "You understand that?"

"A little... But I honestly think I might know a few things that could help, if you don't mind?"

Sasori sighed and sat back, giving the small girl room. He was already messing it up repeatedly, what difference did one more mess-up make?

The lavender-haired girl adjusted from where she stood and looked through all that he had, scanning the labels of each and every chemical, every herb... Finally, she found a few that she deemed worthy enough and reached for the ingredients. From that point, she added them into the concoction and mixed them all together.

"I hope this will help you," she finally said after some time of silence, stepping out of the way. Sasori gave her a look and decided to test it out. He took out a scroll that he had set aside, unrolling it to reveal a spot of what seemed to be poison. With an eye dropper, he took some of the possible antidote and squeezed said liquid onto the spot of poison. Intently, he watched to see if there were any chemical reactions.

All of a sudden, he started to notice the edges of the poison slowly vaporizing, gently making its way towards the middle. Once it hit, there was nothing left of the poison. His eyes widened in unbelief.

"How... how did you figure that out?" He turned his attention on her once again. "Something like this is too complicated to just figure out so easily... How did you know?"

A sheepish chuckle came from the girl's throat. "Actually... I didn't..."

The man just stared a moment, letting her words sink in. "...Are you telling me you didn't know? But how could you be right?"

"Uhmm... W-woman's... intuition...?"

"You're _hardly_ a woman!"

Emi's face went a bit pale. She could have sworn she felt something shoot through her heart with that comment. "I-I'm more of a woman than you are!"

"...Ok, I'll give you that point," Sasori replied, almost cut off to be speechless. "But anyways, I-"

"EMI!" Aina's voice echoed through the halls. "I NEED HELP WITH DINNER! WE DON'T NEED HIDAN MAKING DINNER AGAIN!"

"HEY! That's not very nice!" Hidan's voice rang.

"Ah, ok!" Emi called back. "Um.. I should go make dinner... I'm glad I could help you, Sasori no Danna."

"Mm..." The Akatsuki puppeteer looked stubbornly to the side. He wasn't about to let himself accept the fact that an inexperienced medical kunoichi just helped him figure out his most difficult antidote for his most difficult poison.

A look of slight dismay came over the young girl, feeling that what she had done just made her look worse to the young man, therefore, probably causing him to hate her even more. Without another word, she turned to walk out the door.

"Arigatou..." the tenor of Sasori's voice suddenly, softly, yet indifferently called out. Emi froze a second, seeming to have a double-take. Did he really just tell her 'thank you?' She couldn't help herself as she felt a smile grow on her face.

"Douitashimashite."

:::::

AN: TADA! Oh man, now we know how our wonderful cast of characters met! Pretty interesting, how some of their first encounters went. I mean, Aina has managed to make it 22 chapters without receiving a single injury! Ends up she was hurt on her FIRST DAY in the Akatsuki! And then to see Aina and Emi's first time seeing each other! So cool! I think the third story was our favorite...it was just so much fun to write! Hm...what would happen if they had to do physicals for the Akatsuki? And of course, we can't leave out how Sasori learned to appreciate Emi! Well, what chapter was your favorite? Sakura and I would love to know! 3

Also, since the question was posed...I am primarily a clarinetist (I play Contrabass clarinet, but I also play soprano clarinet as well), but I also play bari sax, ocarina, and piano (though only a little!). Sakura plays piano too, probably a little better than I, but she really likes to sing! Aside from music, we do like to do manga-style artwork as well! At the very moment I am typing this, Sakura is uploading pictures of our characters posing with our love interests on DeviantArt! Her DeviantArt account is AnimeHeroine for those of you who want to know! I think she's posting the FF on there too!

Well, we thank you guys for your fantastic support and we'll try to get the next chapter (Chapter 24!) very soon here, hopefully by the end of the week!

~Nino and Sakura!

P.s. Sorry for such long author's nots, I really should work on that...I just love telling all of you how much we appreciate your support!

Bonus time! The story of the first story's title!

So, this is just a little bonus for any who want to hear of my woes and sorrows of Dungeons and Dragons, and also the inspiration for the first story of this chapter! A few years back, I was playing D&D with my brother and uncle. When my uncle asked what my brother wanted to do, he stated that he was going to enter a room. So, my uncle rolled the die, then looked to me. 'What will you do?' he asked me. My response was that I was going to follow him, of course! Another roll of the die and my uncle said to me: 'Well, you attempted to enter, but your brother closed the door in your face. This took 2 points off of your charisma.' LE GASP! I had an 18 for charisma (out of 20, so I was, like, drop-dead gorgeous!)! Oh well! So, when I was thinking of how Deidara and Aina would have met for the first time, this little story came to my head, and well, the rest of it is at the top of the page~!


	25. Love Knows No Bounds

AN: I am such a mean author...I've had this sitting on my computer for a few days now, and are finally posting this! I blame school...I don't know why, but I do. ANYWAYS, I know you are going to love this chapter, so I'll leave you to it! :D

Chapter 24: Love Knows No Bounds

Quick footsteps were heard down the halls as a teary-eyed Emi made her way to her room, quickly shutting the door behind her. A small sting formed along the inside of her lip, trying to bite said tears away. No other thoughts could go through the girl's head with the exception of the contradicting words of Sasori:

"_...Look, I love Emi; I love her more than anything else in this world. But she's so...pure. I don't want to taint her!"_

"_...I'm a monster, a beast. You don't want to love me if you know what's good for you."_

"I don't get it!" she nearly shouted, pounding her fists against her knees as she slid down against her door. "I don't get it, Danna! If you love me, why won't you accept me...?"

This, of course, seemed to be only a rhetorical question. She knew she wasn't the problem for Sasori, but she couldn't help but feel partially responsible. If she hadn't loved him, they, Sasori especially, wouldn't be in this predicament. Emi wouldn't have had to find out that he was a murderer.

But that wouldn't have stopped her from feeling the way she did towards him. The young girl loved the Scorpion of the Red Sand, even if he was 19, almost 20 years her senior. Knowing him the way she did, it didn't bother her at all that there was a possibility that he could be her uncle if they were related at all.

But to be in love with a murderer?

That was a completely different perspective.

Young Emi just didn't know anymore. She felt she just couldn't understand. There _had_ to be more behind it! Her mind wanted her to be in denial, to find an explanation behind his killings...

And maybe, there was one?

After thinking on it some more, Emi wiped her eyes and stood up; finally coming to the conclusion that she needed to confront someone about her problem. Someone who could help her understand Sasori better.

:::::

Deidara's nose fixed, Aina headed for her own room. He was mad at her, and in all honestly, she knew he has a good reason for it, so she figured it best to leave the bomber alone for a little while. He definitely had an explosive personality, and a short fuse to boot! With a couple hours, though, he'll calm down and she'll be able to apologize.

Opening the door of her room, she wasn't expecting to see someone there. Emi was sitting on her bed, a box of tissues in hand. Her eyes were red and slightly poofed out, clearly telling the observant medic nin the young girl had been crying.

"Emi," Aina breathed, walking to sit next to her friend.

"Aina, I'm...I'm so confused..." she fought back more tears.

"Come here," the green-haired girl pulled the other into a side-ways hug, a hand pulling the younger's to rest on her shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be ok. Let it out, then we can talk about it."

So Emi cried.

It was a while before the sobbing slowed down, becoming just a couple sniffles every now and then. The older kunoichi looked down at the other's face, seeing she was still awake.

"Are you ready?" she asked calmly.

"Yeah."

"Alright, tell me what happened."

It took a while for Emi to get everything out, not only having a lot to say, but having to fight new waves of tears attempting to pour out of her. But finally she managed to get to the present.

"...so then-then I thought...to come to you..."

"You can always come to me, Emi," she smiled reassuringly to her.

The purple-blue-eyed girl let out a sniffle. "I know,"

"You really don't know much about the ways of ninjas, do you?"

"Well, I...thought I did..."

"Emi," Aina became more serious, her smile beginning to fade. "Ninja are murderers. We are cold-hearted murderers who are given assignments to kill people and take things from others without hesitation. This is what it means to be a ninja."

"Does that mean...you...have killed...?"

"Yes, even I've killed people. I've had quite a few assassination missions, as well as other missions that didn't go so well."

"How can you...not be hurt by this?"

"Well, I just think that what I'm doing, I do for Amegakure. We are a poor people, and we need all the money and help we can get. Every mission I complete successfully means Amegakure has been helped, even if only a little."

"But, now you work for Akatsuki...so, what do you do?"

"I now think that what I'm doing, I do for Akatsuki. It's not that much different, especially considering Akatsuki was originally created to help Amegakure."

"Really?" Emi questioned.

"Yup, Pein-sama was tired of watching the people suffer...that, and he was a victim too. So he formed the Akatsuki and saved Amegakure."

"That's really cool."

"It is," there was a slight pause. "But now, back to Sasori."

"Right," the younger's face fell a little.

"I know it must be hard to try and accept what he's done, but it's just the way of the ninja. As a ninja, you need to perfect your style of fighting. His is puppetry, so he has to make sure he has the best puppets. Though they are grotesque, his human puppets are stronger than any other puppet out there. They have unique abilities other puppeteers could only dream about."

Emi became fascinated, seeing the situation from a different light. She had never really thought about it as getting the upper-hand...only as a monstrous behaviour.

"If I recall right," she continued. "Most, if not all, of his puppets were made from shinobi who would be dead anyways. They were ninja who were silly enough to challenge Sasori of the Red Sand. He's just taking extra advantage from his victories in battle that were already going to happen. It's not like he sits down with a book and says 'oh, this guy looks like he'll be nice for my collection,' and goes out to kill them. He just stumbles across them, I suppose."

The young medical ninja could help but giggle at the other's attempt to sound like the man in question. She also thought on what the other was saying, and it was actually making some sense to her. Maybe Aina was right, that Sasori wasn't as bad as he was making himself out to be.

"I...think I'm beginning to see things more clearly," Emi stated, after along time of letting Aina do most of the talking.

"I'm glad," the brown-eyed girl smiled back. "If you don't mind, may I ask what you're going to do about this?"

"No, not at all. I know exactly what I'm going to do..."

:::::

Deidara sighed as he lie across his bed. He was watching his ceiling, attempting to calm himself down. Sure, he was still mad at Aina for laughing at him while he was in pain, but he figured it was a waste of time to stay mad... Even if it _was_ tempting to try to make Aina feel guilty. Though, she must have felt bad if she at least healed his once broken nose just an hour or so earlier, so the young man tried to find it in himself to forgive her.

Sighing again, feeling a little more calmer, he sat up just in time to hear a knock at his door.

"Come in, un."

To the blond's surprise, he found red hair rather than the complimentary color he expected. Nevertheless, the brown eyes stayed consistant.

"Heeey, Sasori no Danna...!" The young man chuckled nervously, expecting to get pummeled and mutilated into a human puppet. "What brings you here, un...?"

Sasori just looked at him silently a moment. There was something that had changed about him. He didn't seem to be the threatening Akasuna no Sasori that he was just hours ago. "Deidara," he finally addressed him after a long, almost utterly awkard silence, "can I ask a favor of you?"

Said man blinked in surprise. Did his danna _really_ address him by name? This was getting weird... "Ok, who are you and what have you done to Sasori no Danna, un?"

"Absolutely nothing," he replied, giving him a small scolding look. "Just listen to me."

"Ah... Alright, un..." A blond brow raised questioningly.

It took a moment or so for the scorpion to find the right words, to have the courage to say them.

After what seemed like forever, he finally found how to say the words that he never thought would escape his lips. "Deidara... my favor... I... I want you to blow everything up..."

The bomber sat there a moment, letting the words sink in...

"Wait... blow what up, un?"

"My..." the red-head paused, taking a deep, silent breath, "...my puppets..."

"...Wh... WHAT?" The young adult took a double take, complete shock had now taken over his tone of voice and features. "Did you just ask me to _blow your puppets up_?"

"What did you think I said? I want you to cross-dress and date me?"

"EW!"

"There you go. Listen more carefully next time, baka."

"Yes, sir," the blond skeptically answered. "Anyways, let me make sure I have this right...you want me to blow your puppets up? Like, boom! All of them...un..."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Sasori then slammed a box in front of Deidara. How he missed his Danna holding the box, he wasn't sure. "Inside are all the puppets in scrolls. Surely you know how to release them."

"Un."

"Good, I expect to never see them again...ANY of them."

The bomber's eyes blinked a couple times. "Un, but...not even the Third?"

"Not the Third, not Hiruko...none of them."

"Oh, ah...ok then, Sasori no Danna, un..."

"So," the scorpion turned on his heals as he headed for the door. "I'll leave you to it."

"Um...ok, un." The bomber attempted to wave at the man as he left. After he was sure the puppeteer was out of hearing range, he let out a sigh. "Ok, I'm sure that you are not Sasori...un."

:::::

Bright and early the next day, Deidara found himself at the Akatsuki training grounds, deep within some nearby woods. Along with him, he had the box of scrolls from Sasori and a hefty bag of explosive clay. He set the box down and pulled out the first scroll. Releasing the puppets within, he set them up next to a post.

"It's a brand new day, un. The sun is high," the bomber spoke to himself as he stepped back and positioned himself far enough away. "All the birds are singing that you're gonna die, un."

"How I hesitated now I wonder why, it's a brand new day." He formed some clay birds and sent them towards the puppets. "Geijutsu wa bakuhatsu da, un," he said as his hands created the seal he needed. "KATSU!"

_**BOOOOM!**_

"What the heck?" came Hidan's voice as he and a few other curious members of the Akatsuki gathered around to see what the explosion was all about. "It's six in the fricken' morning! What the freak are you doing, blondie?"

"Huh?" said blond looked behind him to find Hidan, Aina, Konan, and Tobi behind him. "Oh, I'm blowing Danna's puppets up, un. Just like he asked."

"You're _blowing _Sasori's puppets up?" Hidan gave him a baffled look, not having caught the last part. "Dude, you're gonna get in big, freaking trouble!"

"Uh.. no...?"

"Sempai, did he really tell you to do that?" Tobi asked in shock.

"Un."

"Wait... WHAT?" Aina and Hidan went into shock as soon as Deidara's recent words finally sunk in.

"That's right. He asked me to blow all of his puppets up. Even the Third and Hiruko, un."

"Huh..." The young medic reached up to run her fingers through her short green hair. "Never thought he'd do that!"

"No kidding!" the priest chimed in. "Puppet Boy would _never_...!"

"I think I may know why," Konan said to no one in particular, thoughtfully.

Aina nodded. "I have a hunch too..."

"What would that be, Aina-chan?" Tobi asked curiously. "Is it because Sasori-sempai likes Emi-chan?"

"Love works in strange ways," was all she said before she smiled and headed back in. "Dei, I'm gonna make us some breakfast, alright?"

"Un! Arigatou," he smiled at her as she walked in, Konan following close behind. Slowly, the other two followed suit. Deidara stayed to make sure the fire didn't spread, putting it out when needed.

He sighed again, looking at the spot where Akasuna no Sasori's infamous human puppets once sat before heading inside. "Well, I did it Danna. Just like you asked... Better hope you don't regret it, un."

:::::

"Oatmeal? Aw, Aina, you shouldn't have, un," the blond grinned, sitting at the table.

"Well, I was making some for myself anyways," she smiled back to him. Sitting down next to him, she began to dig into her food.

Deidara too began to eat. "Wow, this is a nice way to start the morning, un!"

"Glad you think so!"

As the two ninja continued to eat, Emi entered the kitchen, heading for the cereal cabinet.

"Good morning," she smiled to her two friends. "How are you both today?"

"Doing good!" Aina grinned after swallowing another spoonful of oatmeal. "Strange wake-up call this morning, but you know...hey, speaking of which, did you even notice?"

"Notice what?" the purple-haired girl raised a brow as she poured some of the cereal into a bowl.

"You mean to tell me you didn't hear the explosions, un?"

"Explosions?" Emi now turned to face the two. "What happened?"

"Well, heh heh," the bomber chuckled. "Funny story..."

"Sasori told him to blow all of his puppets up for him," Aina spoke for her boyfriend.

Purple-blue eyes widened considerably at the words. "Wh-what...?" she barely managed.

"I know, we found it hard to believe too, un," Deidara said through a full mouth.

"We at first thought he was making it up!"

"So...he was really serious?"

"Well, what's done is done...unless that was an impostor that came into my room with scrolls containing 298 puppets in them, I'd say that he was really serious, un."

"Wow, I just...I don't get it...why?" the youngest asked in confusion.

Aina smiled to her, picking up her bowl to bring it to the sink. "Love makes you do crazy things."

"Indeed, un," Deidara added, following the green-haired kunoichi.

Emi pondered the words carefully. 'This means...he did it for...for me. Does he really love me so much as to throw away his most precious possessions?'

"Well," Aina stretched her arms behind her. "I think it's time for nap time!"

"Didn't we just wake up a little bit ago, un?"

"Who said I couldn't go back to sleep...you did kinda give us a wake-up call this morning."

"Heh heh, true, un..." he sheepishly smiled to her.

"So, I think a nap is in order!" She began to head out of the kitchen like she was on a mission.

Deidara quickly followed after her. "I guess a nap does sound good, un."

The young medical kunoichi simply stared as the two older ninja headed out. Her mind was still attempting to register all that had just happened. But there was one thing she knew for certain:

She had to tell Sasori no Danna her feelings.

:::::

Feelings of reluctance bubbled up inside her again. As much as she wanted to tell the puppet master how she felt, she was still scared of how he would act towards her. _Will he push me aside again?_ were the thoughts that kept rewinding over and over again through her head like a broken record. _Will he even stop to listen to me? Will he accept what I have to say?_

Taking a deep breath, the vain attempt most people use to calm a racing heart down, Emi brought up as much courage as she could muster to lift her hand up to knock on the door in front of her. She just _had_ to know if this puppet man _really_ went as far as to let the infamous bomber Deidara destroy _all 298_ of his beloved and most prized possessions.

"Agh...! Emi..." Sasori's face seemed just the slightest surprised as he opened the door, trying to stay composed.

"S-Sasori no Danna..."

"Did you need... something...?" the elder stumbled over what to say.

"Um, well... I..." Purple-blue eyes found their way down to the owner's feet, nervousness starting to fight its way to win the small girl over. "I want... need... I need to talk to you..."

Red hair bobbed gently. Said man hesitantly stepped aside, opening the door a little wider for the girl. He could tell she wanted it to be private. "Alright."

Stepping inside, Emi let her eyes wander the man's room. It seemed a little more emptier than usual. The puppet he was working on was now gone. In place of it seemed to be some wood and carpenter tools.

She timidly looked up to her danna. "Sasori? Your puppets... Did you really ask for the destruction of them?"

"You heard?" He moved around her cautiously to sit at his workbench. "I won't deny that I did..."

"But... why? They were everything to you..."

"_Were_," he repeated, pointing out the past tense as he started carving away at his new project.

"Don't you regret it?"

He stopped. The young puppet man seemed to be thinking, being thoughtful of what he would say next, being thoughtful of what he really felt.

"They're puppets," he finally answered in a low, even tone. "They're supposed to be used, and then put away when they're outgrown... I suppose..."

"So you regret it..."

"That's not the case," he turned to her, his brown eyes, she noticed, seemed more intense than they've ever been. "They were important to me, yes. They were all I was. But I don't need that anymore. I have something more important to me than my puppets. You very well know what I mean, Emi."

Even though she had already known the answer from the start of after the explosion, she still felt shocked. This man, Akasuna no Sasori, apparently infamous for his use and artistic skills of creating and manipulating human puppets, admitted that they were no longer important; admitted that _she _was what was more important. To hear him say that started to bring tears to her eyes.

"Danna... will you listen to what I have to say?" she asked, bringing her head down to hide her eyes for a moment.

"Go ahead," he nodded, waiting both impatiently for her words and yet anxious enough to not quite want to hear them yet.

"I... thought about what you said... for a while..." she started, trying to find the right words. "And... I came to a conclusion... as to what my feelings are..."

A pause. The atmosphere gained another level of tension.

The awkwardness between the two made the medic nin quietly gulp back whatever fears she was trying to hide.

Her lips finally unlocked, allowing her voice to give gentle sound. "I... still love you."

Brown eyes widened as the puppet master heard the words. He was surprised, unsure of what to think. He wanted to speak, to say something to her, but he couldn't find the words, nor his voice to say them. He simply stared at her, no longer able to hide the shock on his face.

"Sasori no Danna, I still understand if you-" Emi attempted to say, but found a physical force stopped her words from continuing.

Faster than her eyes could register, the red-head had stood up from his workbench and embraced her tightly. Her eyes grew as she felt her heart beat even faster.

"I love you too," he whispered into her ear.

Emi let herself melt into the hug, tears attempting to escape her eyes. She somehow managed to wrap her slender arms around his body and hugged him back just as tightly, nuzzling her face into his coat as a smile made its way onto her face. "Arigatou...!"

"Arigatou to you," Sasori smiled back. He briefly tightened his grip on the younger to emphasize his words.

Returning the gentle squeeze, she pulled away slightly and smiled at him. For some reason, she couldn't help but giggle. "Why are you saying 'thank you?'"

"Emi," he began, a smile appearing on his face for the first time in what seemed like days. "You showed me...how to be human again."

Her eyes blinked. "Huh?" Suddenly, she felt like she was missing something; something was flying over her head and she wasn't catching it. "What do you mean by that?"

"I lost who I was. I became so worked up in my puppetry...I lost the real me. But then you showed me; You showed me what it is to smile and laugh, to care...to love..."

A massive blush came over the girl's face. She looked down shyly, unsure how to react. "O-oh... Um.. I... it was... I-I didn't mean... to...?"

The red-head began to chuckle slightly. "It's fine. I'm...I'm happy you did so."

A moment passed before Emi embraced the puppeteer again, her smile back on her face. "I'm happy too!"

Sasori's smile grew as he held onto the small girl tightly. For the first time in his life, he felt...love. Never knowing love before, he was quickly growing to like it. The feeling of being wanted, appreciated...needed. Loved.

"Kiss her..." he thought he heard from the back of his head. "Kiss her...!"

Sasori blinked. Wait...

"_Kiss her...!"_

Slowly he realized...

"_Kiss the girl...!_"

That voice wasn't coming from his head...

"_Psssst!_ Danna!" a familiar voice rang in a hushed tone. "Kiss her, un!"

The puchinello blinked, suddenly pinning the name that went with the voice as his head rapidly turned to face the door.

A crack was open just enough for him to see a blue and brown eye... Along with a few other colored eyes.

"HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE?" Sasori's voice boomed, causing Emi to jump, half startled to death.

"Oh crap, he saw us!" Deidara told everyone around him as they attempted to do a peek-and-run. "Run, un!"

"Deidara..." the scorpion called out in a very venomously threatening voice, slowly letting go of Emi and making his way to the door. "Guess what today is...?"

"HEAD FOR THE HILLS! WE'VE GOT A SADIST ON THE LOOSE, UN!"

"THE HILLS WON'T SAVE YOU FROM ME, BRAT!" Sasori broke into a run after gently letting to of Emi. She attempted to reach out for him, but just found her arm hanging there.

Aina walked up to the younger ninja, a large grin on her face. "Dei-Dei isn't gonna last long. Ha ha..."

"But, Sasori...I...Deidara..." the purple haired girl attempted to get her thoughts out.

"Eh, Deidara had it coming!" Hidan said. "He was the one that organized this."

Emi blinked, finally realizing what just happened. "Wait...you mean...you were all there...watching...?"

"The whole time," Aina giggled.

"Tobi thinks Emi and Sasori no Danna are so cute together!" The orange-masked ninja began to jump up and down enthusiastically.

The young girl's face began to pale. "I...I just...don't know what to say..."

"I don't think you need to say anything. We pretty much caught the whole thing," Kisame added.

"Oh my..." she murmured before her vision became blurry.

"Oh, crap! She's gonna collapse!"

:::::

AN: *Insert massive sigh of relief here* Wow, that's been quite the mini-arch, hasn't it? But, there is no need to worry, this story is FAR from over...not sure what exactly we have in store yet (I do believe there MIGHT be a Halloween special coming up...!), since we come up with ideas on a nigh-daily basis, but we have quite a few ideas left. So, now for the classic 'Nino askes the people questions' segment: What couple did you like better for how they got together? As a refresher, Deidara and Aina got together at the Hanabi Matsuri when Susumu (at the time unnamed) started to hit on Aina, causing our favorite blond to get jealous. So, feel free to tell us which you liked better! Thank you all for reading and expect another chapter up in the next few days! Maybe by the end of the week if you are lucky... ;)

~Nino and Sakura


	26. Pick Up Lines That Are Doomed To Fail

AN: I know I said something about a Halloween Special, don't worry! It will be coming! However, this just kinda happened, so...ENJOY!

Chapter 25: Pick Up Lines That Are Doomed to Fail

A week passed since the incident between Sasori, Emi, and the whole of the Akatsuki. Our beloved, hot-headed, yet somehow cool blond made his way to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. Reaching said room, he made his way to one of the cupboards to grab a bowl, deciding that today was another cereal day since he was too lazy to make anything special.

Setting the bowl down and grabbing all of the other things he needed, he then started his journey in preparing it. What he didn't see coming though, was how challenging of a task that'd be.

"Darn it! Come on, un!" he muttered to himself, fiddling with the box of cereal. After a few seconds, he got it open, poured a good serving in the bowl, and fought to close the box. Finally, he got it closed and managed to put it back on the shelf.

Next was the milk carton. Digging through the fridge, he finally found said milk carton and set it on the table. After a moment of fiddling, he started mumbling curses to himself. "Darn milk carton! Why won't... you open, un?" And then he noticed: it was a new carton of milk.

"Oh, great. This is just _fantastic_!" he grumbled, fighting to open the carton. No matter how many times he tried to pry the two flaps apart, he failed. It was definitely a trial he had to overcome with just one hand. "Where's Aina when you need her, un?"

After what seemed like centuries to the bomber, he finally managed to get the carton open with his one hand, only to end up knocking it down.

"GAH! Come on!" He jumped back, milk dripping all the way down his cloak and to the floor. Deidara quickly reached for some paper towels with his only free hand and wiped it up as quickly as possible, followed by picking the carton up before it had a lack of lactose. "Man, this just keeps getting better, un..." he groaned as he poured the left over milk into the bowl and set it down to close it. The bomber turned to the fridge and opened the door, then turned to pick the carton up and put it back.

_Thump_.

Blue eyes blinked as he realized that the fridge had closed on him. He turned around to put the milk down again, turned to open the door, and turned once more to grab the carton.

_Thump_.

"Wha?" Deidara turned back to see that the door had once again closed. He frowned a bit and reopened it, turned again.

_Thump_.

"Oh, come _on_!" He turned once again, opened the door. "Now, you stay, un...!" he commanded, holding his hand up as if a silent force would keep the door from closing again. "Stay...! Staaaay..." The blond reached for the carton of milk and kept his eyes on the fridge. When he saw that it didn't budge, he smiled and made his way to the cooling machine. "Heh..."

_Thump._

"AW, COME ON!"

"What's going on, Dei-Dei?" Aina asked, walking into the room. "Is your broken arm bothering you again?"

"FINALLY! A ray from the heavens, you've come, un!" Deidara rejoiced as he went to hug his girlfriend.

"Uhhh... Dei-Dei, are you ok?"

"You have no idea what a blessing from Bhudda it is to see you, un!"

"Um... Did you have too many pain killers, by chance?"

"Oh no, not at all," he replied. "Just the cosmic universe working against me, un."

"...Alright then. What is it that they're accusing you of?"

"Everything, un."

Aina let out a sigh, reaching for the milk container in his hand. She quickly opened the refrigerator and placed the carton away. "Oh, Dei-Dei...what would you do without me?"

"I'd still be fighting that stupid fridge, un..."

"Aw, it's ok," she said as she grabbed his bowl, bringing it to the table for him. He quietly sat down, spoon already in hand. The green-haired girl prepared her own bowl of cereal as he ate.

Neither were fazed as the door to the kitchen opened, revealing Sasori. "Well, good morning, Deidara," he greeted emotionlessly.

"I'm still mad at you, un..." the blond grumbled through a full mouth.

"It was your own fault."

"I just needed to run to the hill a little faster is all, un!"

"The hill wasn't going to save you from me...baka."

Deidara let out a huff. "It might have! Height has a tactical advantage, un!" He paused a second. "That's why I fly...wait, WHY DIDN'T I JUST FLY AWAY, UN?"

Sasori couldn't help but let his hand gently hit his forehead. "Sometimes, I wonder with you..."

Aina bursted out laughing, taking her bowl of cereal and sitting next to the bomber. "I'm amazed it took you this long to realize that!"

A blond brow raised as he turned to look to her. "Wait, you knew the whole time, un?"

"Well, first off, it was kinda funny to watch you run away instead of fly. Secondly, I didn't think he was going to hit you hard enough to break your arm. If it had been just a cut, I could have healed it, but since it's bone..."

"Gee, thanks... I love you _so_ much, Aina, un..."

"Glad to know you do, Dei-Dei."

"What's wrong?" a soft voice asked, light footsteps entering the room.

"Ah, nothing much," the medic nin responded. "Deidara's just being a wuss."

"Am not, un!"

"You're whining and complaining," she pointed out.

"Hmph!"

Emi chuckled lightly. "Ah, I see. Well, does anyone want anything specific for breakfast? I'll prepare it."

"Dei and I kinda already have cereal..." Aina replied with a sheepish smile. "I'll take scrambled eggs tomorrow though! Scrambled eggs with bacon..."

"And milk, un," Deidara added with a smirk.

"Ew!" Aina made a face. "That's gross!"

"You're eating cereal, Aina, un."

"That's an _exception_! Just like beef stew..."

"Well, I suppose I'll just make myself breakfast then," Emi opted with a chuckle.

:::::

A few hours later, and now full stomachs, Deidara and Sasori found themselves in the living room, along with Hidan and Kakuzu, enjoying the mindlessness of the television.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei~" the orange clad ninja spoke. He had performed his sexy-no-jutsu only seconds earlier, giving him an oddly feminine voice. "Won't you please train with me today~?"

Kakashi could say nothing as he fell backwards, blood gushing from his nose in ridiculous amounts.

Hidan and Kakuzu found themselves looking in disgust, Deidara looked confused, and Sasori was too engrossed in his book to even notice.

"Would that actually work? I mean, seriously!" Hidan shouted at the television.

"Wouldn't work on me, un," the blond bomber added.

"Well, that's what you have Aina for, silly," the silver-haired man smirked.

"Eh, true, un."

"Anyways, I would think a corny pick-up line would work better than that stupid jutsu!"

"You really think pick-up lines work?" Kakuzu looked up from some banking to stare at the Jashinist.

"Well, better than _that!_" Hidan huffed. "I'm sure there are some that work. Hey, you know what?"

"_What_, Hidan?" the miser grumbled.

"What if Sasori and Deidara tried some pick-up lines on their girlfriends?"

Both men went red at the thought. Deidara blinked his eyes a couple times while Sasori slammed his book shut, getting up from his seat.

"No, there's no way you would ever be able to get me to do something so...so preposterous!" the red-head began to leave.

"I...I kinda get the feeling Aina would take humor to pick-up lines, un..." the blond began to ponder deeply. "She'd probably find them funny."

"So, you gonna try some on her, then?" Hidan asked hopefully.

"Might, we'll have to see...though, I bet I could come up with better pick-up lines than Sasori-no-Danna, un~"

Sasori stopped, then quickly turned around to face the blond. "Is that a challenge?"

"Oh, you know it, Danna, un."

"Yes, I believe I do, Deidara...let's see who can come up with the better lines."

"Ok, un!"

The two left behind watched blankly as the two challengers eagerly left to start their competition. Silence lingered between the two, save for the voice of the annoying "believe its'" in the background. Finally, the zombie brothers looked at each other.

"Who do you think will win?" Kakuzu asked the Jashinist.

Hidan chuckled. "Who knows, who cares? I just wanna see them make freaking fools of themselves!"

:::::

Aina was currently sitting on one of the many couches that the Akatsuki owned, going through a thin book and coloring the thick-lined black-and-white pictures with crayon. She smiled as she chuckled to herself, lightly kicking her legs in the air behind her.

"Ha ha! Now don't you look handsome, Mr. Fourth Hokage?" she laughed to herself.

"_Who's_ handsome... un?"

"WHOA! Dei-Dei, don't surprise me like that!" The green-haired girl sat up, giving the blond a pout.

"Again, _who's_ handsome, un?" said bomber asked again.

"Psh, you are, who else?" Aina chuckled. "Though, the Fourth is pretty spiffy-looking too, I won't deny."

"Hey!"

"Oh, stop being such a baby!" she laughed and got up to hug him. "I'm your girlfriend after all, so there shouldn't be much to worry about, right?"

Deidara grumbled. "Sometimes, I question that logic of yours, un..."

"Aw, come on! Forgive me? It's not like I actually fancy the hokage anyways."

"I suppose... un..."

"Was there something you needed?"

"Not in particular."

"I see... Would you like to color with me?" she smiled sweetly.

'This,' thought Deidara, 'is a _perfect_ opportunity!'

"Aina, Aina, Aina," he started by shaking his head side-to-side, smiling, followed up by a 'matter-of-fact' shrug. "I'm an artist... And I think I've just found my muse!"

Said girl sat there a moment. Staring...

"Um... oook... So, are you gonna color with me...?"

Seeing that he had epically failed, the Akatsuki bomb artist sighed. "Yeah, I'll color with you, un..."

"YAY!" his girlfriend chimed as she jumped back onto the couch with glee.

"But no more of this 'Mr. Fourth Hokage' business, un!"

:::::

Sasori found himself only a short while after his challenge with Deidara walking on his way to Aina and Emi's medical herb garden. He had been working on a new poison and needed some ingredients for it.

As he opened the door to head out, he saw the familiar sight of purple hair as Emi was bent over, watering the plants. She looked up at him and gasped.

"Sasori no Danna," she smiled to him. "What brings you out here?"

"Well, I was actually wondering if I could take some of the herbs here for my new poison, that is, if you don't mind."

Emi looked a little skeptical, but decided to let it go. "Ah, sure, take whatever you need."

The purple-haired girl finished watering the plants as the red-head picked what plants he needed. The two finished about the same time, and decided to walk in together.

It would be a long walk back to his room, but the companionable silence between him and his new girlfriend was a pleasant way to walk back. His mind began to wander back to the competition he and Deidara were having, and that's when the idea hit him.

"Emi, could you hold something for me?" he asked, extending a fisted hand.

The blue-purple eyed girl looked to him with a smile on her face. "Of course."

As she reached to take what Sasori had, his hand opened up, holding on to hers. "Arigatou."

"Huh?" was all she could manage as she pondered what just happened. 'But...he didn't give me anything...Wait, he's holding my hand...' "Oh! Ah...douitashimashite?"

The red-head could only smile as they continued down the hallways. 'Let's see you beat that one, baka...'

:::::

"Why do they keep watching it if they keep arguing about it?" Aina puzzled as she stood not too far off from where the zombie brothers and other members of the Akatsuki sat and watched the one tv show that they had a tendency to watch.

"Who knows? I just know it's hilarious to see them fight over something so stupid, un," Deidara grinned.

"True... But still, over something as trivial as a tv show?"

"Yeah..."

"So why does he always have to wear orange? With blue nonetheless!" Hidan scowled to the tv.

"I really don't know," Kakuzu sighed. "What I want to know is why he says "believe it" all the time."

"I don't freaking know!" the Jashinist snarled to himself. "Gosh, he thinks he's so powerful and cool, but I bet even a _pirate _can beat that shrimp!"

"Hmm..." Deidara thought on the idea. Soon enough, his thoughts trailed off deeply. After a moment or so, he suddenly had that "ah ha!" moment. "So Aina..." he started with a devious grin, "if you were a pirate, which shoulder would you have your parrot on? This shoulder? (He put his right hand on her left shoulder.) Or _this_ shoulder, un?" He moved his hand to her right shoulder, his arm now around her.

Said medical ninja turned her gaze on him, comprehending what had just taken place. Finally, she gave him a smug smile. "I like the parrot where it is."

Blue eyes blinked, taken aback. "Oh... Well... ok... un..."

"So, who's winning?"

"Wh-what?"

"Who's winning the pick-up line competition?"

"Wait, how did _you _know, un?"

"Well, your reaction just confirmed my suspicion," she continued. "You see, Emi told me the most peculiar thing earlier... She told me that Sasori held her hand today. Honestly, that was something I didn't expect him to try to do for a while. That, and this is the second time you've pulled a pick-up line on me."

"That... uh... well, you see... un..."

She chuckled. "So, again, who's winning?"

"Um... I'm not quite sure, un..."

"I'd say Sasori's winning."

"What?"

"Well, yeah," she shrugged. "I mean, if you think about it, Sasori got away with _holding Emi's hand_ on the _first try_. This is your second try, and you've only gotten away with your arm around me."

"...Fudge it all, un!"

:::::

"EMI!" Aina shouted, quickly opening the door of the younger medical ninja. Said girl looked up to see the other.

"Aina?" she gasped. "What is going on?"

"Well, have you noticed some...odd behaviors lately?"

"Huh?" the lavender-haired girl was puzzled.

"I mean, with Sasori and Deidara...you know...PICK-UP LINES!"

"Ah, yes, actually I have."

"Well, guess what I found out~!" the green-haired girl's smile grew devious.

"Um...what did you find out, Aina...?"

"The two of them are having a pick-up line battle against each other!"

Purple-blue eyes blinked a couple times. "...A pick-up line battle...?" the young girl began to wrap her brain around the idea. It did make sense, Sasori really didn't seem the type to use such tactics, but he also enjoys a good competition with the blond to show him that he, the great Akasuna no Sasori, was better.

"So, I also have come up with a plan of my own!" Aina stated as she threw a manila folder at the younger. "This, my dear, has some of the greatest stuff you'll EVER see!"

"Oh...my...goodness...Aina, how many are there?"

"I did my research!" the brown-eyed girl grinned wider.

Emi looked up from the papers. "We aren't really going to use _all_ of them, are we?"

The elder of the two pondered a moment, her hand coming to rest at her chin. "I don't know if we'll have time to. I figured we could look for our favorites and go from there."

Emi blinked her eyes again, thinking about what was written on the pages. Millions upon millions of pick-up lines ('Corny and Clean' as Aina had written on the top of the first page) were here for her to see. Some seemed so obscure, and others just didn't make sense to the young girl. But, a small part of her was a little curious how her danna would react if she were to pull one of these on him...

A smile crept onto the small girls face. "I think we can manage something from this."

:::::

It had been a while since the two competitive artists started their competition. Sasori walked along the halls, reeling any possible ideas through his head that could help him win.

'Let's see... If something like this happened, then... I wonder which pick-up line I could come up with next...?' he pondered, only to catch a glimpse of blond hair. The scorpion's attention turned towards his nemesis.

"Danna, un," Deidara smiled smugly.

"Brat."

"So, how many pick-up lines have you used on Emi thus far, un?"

"None of your business."

"Oh yeah?" the blond raised a brow. "Well, I've pulled _two _pick-up lines on Aina now, un!"

The red-head frowned. The brat really pulled two already? Sasori had only pulled one... "Shouldn't this competition be based on quality over quantity?"

"Oh, come now," the bomber grinned knowingly, "we never decided on that, Danna, un!"

"Sure..." the scorpion stated skeptically.

"I'm kinda being serious, un," the blond commented as he opened the door for the kitchen.

Sasori headed for the table, taking a seat that would allow him to face the younger. "I suppose it would be the combination of quality and quantity that should decide the winner..."

"Yeah, but it should be more heavily based on quantity, un," Deidara concluded as he reached into the cupboard to get a Twinkie, before joining the puppeteer. "I mean, you go into quality, you'd have to create some sort of crazy point system, un."

"It would be more accurate."

"It would be more confusing, un."

"Your point?"

"It would be more confusing, un!" he repeated as he took a bite of the yellow sponge cake.

"Hey guys! What's crack-a-lackin' yo?" Aina chimed as she and Emi burst through the kitchen door.

"Deidara..." Sasori started, "I'm really starting to wonder if your girlfriend has gotten into the sake yet..."

"No, no, I can assure you she hasn't," the blond gave his danna a sheepish smile. "She just acts like this all the time, un."

"Right..."

"Hey, is that a Twinkie?" the green-haired kunoichi grinned, leaning over the bomber to see the sponge cake more clearly. "Caaan I has one?"

"Gomen, this is the last one, un," Deidara replied as he chewed off another piece.

"Awww, you are so mean," she pouted, her face thoughtful. "Well, guess I'll just have to go buy more! Coming Emi?"

"Huh?" the younger blinked. "Um.. sure."

"Then OFF WE GO!"

"Do you two even have money?" the red-head asked, causing the girls to stop in their tracks.

"Eh heh heh..." Aina began a nervous chuckle. "Hrm, I guess that would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

"Just a little..." the voilet-haired girl added.

"Then, I guess we're off to plan 'B!'" the elder girl chirped as she skipped back to Deidara. She took the last bit of yellowy goodness from his fingers as he was just about to consume it. Quickly shoving it into her own mouth, she gave him a poofy-cheeked smile.

"A-Aina!" the blond shouted, pouting to his girlfriend.

"Aren't you concerned about his germs?" Sasori questioned.

"His?" she pointed to the man in question. "Naw, not that I'd be worried about many people's anyway."

Emi and Sasori both cringed slightly at the response. "For a medic nin, that's a pretty concerning response..." the red-head finally managed.

"I can't believe you ate my Twinkie, un..." the bomber pouted, looking at his now empty hand.

"OMMMMMMMmmmmm~" Aina hummed as she chewed... slowly. "NOOOOOOoooommmmm~ NOOOOOOMMMMMmmmmmm~"

"Are you _positive_ Aina didn't get into the sake?" Sasori questioned once more.

"I'm actually starting to question it too, un," the blond replied, making a face.

"NOOOOOOOmmmmmm~ OOOMMMMMMMMmmmmm~"

"Ok, seriously, Aina, what are you doing, un? You sound like you're meditating!"

"I _am_ meditating!" she replied, mouth full of spongy, yellow goodness. "It's called the art of Om Nomming! Meditation while eating!"

"Well, how about you stop meditating over food and meditate over me, un?" the bomber retorted.

"Oh, good gravy, Brat..." a certain scorpion of the Red Sand face-palmed.

"Wow, Deidara, that was a... quite the pathetic pick-up line, if you ask me." Aina gave him a look.

"Oh yeah? What do you know of pick-up lines anyway, un?" Deidara frowned. "You think you can do better, un?"

"Actually, I'm very sure I can!"

"Prove it!"

"Well, fine!" Aina started clearing her throat. "Even with a compass, I get lost in your eyes!"

"Ooo! That was a nice one!" Sasori bewildered.

"Yeah, right!" the blond blushed slightly. "I can do better, un! I have my library card. Mind if I... (he winked,) check you out?"

"Since when did you get a library card?" A green eyebrow rose in question.

"Eh, I wanted to check a book out about the chemistry of explosives, un."

"Hey, hey, hey! You're not winning this competition!" Sasori exclaimed, followed up by him clearing his own throat as he gently walked past Emi, softly brushing her shoulder with his. "Do you believe in love at first sight," he asked, turning to the young girl, as her attention was also now on him, "or should I walk by again?"

Red burned against the skin of Emi's face, timidly looking down, completely speechless. The elder of the two girls grinned and nudged at her.

"Hey, Emi! Don't you have something to say back to Sasori? Huh? Huuuuuuh~?"

"C... can I take your picture?" Emi asked shyly. "'Cause I want to show Santa what I want for Christmas."

"You've already got it," Sasori grinned mischievously, causing the already red-faced girl to glow an even deeper shade.

"Can you catch? 'Cause I think I'm falling in love with you," Aina smiled, swooning into Deidara's arms.

"Is your father a thief? 'Cause he stole all the stars and put it in your eyes, un," he caught her, grinning.

Sasori let out a huff, not wanting to be outmatched by the younger blond. "My heart's been aching, and the doctor says the best medicine is you."

Emi fought her face from becoming even more red, then addressed her Danna. "Did the sun come out, or did you just smile at me?"

"Oh~! That was a nice one!" Aina grinned to her friend.

"Arigatou," the lavender-haired girl smiled back.

"Somebody better call God, 'cause he's missing an angel!" Hidan bursted into the room, directing all of the attention to him.

"Hidan?" the two men yelped in surprise.

"Well, that was pretty fun, wasn't it? And I think I picked my winner for this year's pick-up line battle royal!"

"And..." Sasori inquired.

"Who won, un?" Deidara asked.

"Well, I'd have to say...EMI!"

"Emi?" the three other's gasped as they looked towards the youngest member.

"Look at her~" Hidan grinned, pointing to her. "She so cute and adorable~! When you combine that with pick-up lines...she's UNSTOPPABLE!"

"WHOO! Go Emi!" the green-haired girl cheered.

"Ok, I can see your point," Sasori shrugged his shoulders. "She is really cute when she's using pick-up lines,"

"I should have won, un!" Deidara pouted.

"Aw, you can be a winner in my book." Aina grinned to him.

"Arigatou, Aina, un."

"Douitashimashite. So, do you wanna come color with me?"

"Oh, sure, why not, un?"

The two left, shortly followed by the other couple.

"You know, Emi," Sasori started as they headed for the kitchen door. "If beauty were time, you'd be eternal."

Emi's face flushed even deeper (not that that would be humanly possible, but the average anime character does have 13 gallons of blood...) as they left, being passed by Kakuzu as he entered the kitchen, heading for the cupboard.

"How did your little pick-up line game go?" he asked as he reached for something to eat.

"I'd say it went pretty well. I decided Emi won."

"Hm."

The moment turned into a companionable silence, Kakuzu eating while Hidan stood not too far from him. Then, the silver-haired man began to move closer to the miser. "So~" he started. "I'm sure you've heard all the pick-up lines in the book, but-"

"No!" the stitched man shouted, very quickly moving to put more distance between him and the Jashinist. "Just, no!"

:::::

Aina began digging through a box of coloring books while Deidara stood behind her. She was trying to figure out exactly what book to color in. Suddenly, the blond began to flail his arms around the green-haired girl.

"Um...Deidara?" she asked, looking over her shoulder to him. "What are you doing...?"

"I'm keeping the bees away from my honey, un," he stated matter-of-fact, continuing to flail his arms about.

"Aw, you really are too kind to me~" she smiled to him.

"I try, un."

:::::

AN: YAY! That was WAY too much fun to write! I don't know why, but I love pick-up lines! I've had this document on my computer for a while now that Sakura and I were going to use when we did another fan-fic (one that unfortunately never got started...and probably never will...ANYWAYS). One of the characters was a womanizer, and we thought it'd be funny if he and one of our female characters got in a pick-up line battle! Well, since the ff never got going, we decided we would use our glorious pile of corny (and clean) pick-up lines here! So, here's the question of the chapter! Which pick-up line was your favorite? And, who do you think should have won the pick-up line battle? Do you agree with Hidan, or do you think one of the others should have won?

Thank you all so much for reading this! We promise to have the next chapter up within the next 10 days or so, since we want it up before Halloween! So, until then, DOMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!

~Nino and Sakura!


	27. This is Halloween

AN: So, here's our Halloween special finally! Goodness, thank you for being mean to me! I've been trying to upload this doc and it just wasn't going, but I think we finally have it! YAY! So, hopefully without any more problems or delays, here you go!

Chapter 26: This is Halloween!

Deidara lay in bed, blissfully asleep. It always felt nice to get to sleep in every now and then; and with no missions or chores to do today, well, the sleep felt really nice.

He was beginning to wake up, but not from what he thought. A gentle nudge against his face brought him back to reality.

'Maybe I'm still dreaming, un,' he pondered to himself, rolling over so he faced the wall.

But the nudging continued.

Finally, after a minute or so, he decided something needed to be done about this. He began to sit up, but found the face of his girlfriend instead. Now, Aina waking him up in the morning was actually more common then not, what was the oddity of this morning were the cat ears that were in her green hair.

"Meow!" she smiled cheerfully to him, letting her 'paw' pat at his face again.

"Um, good morning to you to, Aina? What are you wearing, un?"

"Meow!" the medic nin sounded as she sat herself so he could see her. It was a simple black tee-shirt with black pants. Her face was accented with stripes to add to her feline appearance.

"Why are you a cat, un?"

"You mean to tell me you don't know?" she gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. "Deidara, what day is it today?"

"Monday, un?"

"A little more specific..."

"Monday morning, un?"

"Ugh!" Aina threw her arms in the air. "Goodness, Deidara! Today is Halloween!"

"Oh," the blond suddenly felt stupid for forgetting. Aina had been making a production out of the holiday for only, what, two weeks now? "Well, that explains why you are a cat then, un."

"Meow!" her smile returned as she rubbed her head against his shoulder.

He couldn't help but smile at her. "You know, you make a nice cat, un."

"Tee hee!" she grinned. "Meow!"

A chuckle escaped his lips as he lifted a hand and pat her head. As if it were feline instinct, she leaned in towards him, motioning to him to continue petting. "Meow~!"

"Ah ha ha! Ok, ok," he pet her head, playing with her cat ears. After a few minutes, he stopped, causing the cat girl to meow again. "My hand is tired, un. Don't you want to eat breakfast?"

Thinking for a moment, Aina finally nodded her head. "Meow!"

"Then let's go eat, un," he got up, not bothering to change clothes and walked out to the kitchen. Suddenly, his footsteps paused, an epiphany hitting him as he reached for the cupboard. "Oh wait, we don't have kitty food..."

"Meow?" Aina let her head tilt to one side questioningly.

"Huh.. I guess that's too bad... Guess you can't eat, un."

"Meow?" A look of horror and confusion came to her face.

The blond grinned mischievously, knowing the kitty girl couldn't see from behind his back. "That's right! Kitty cats aren't allowed to eat people food. They'll get sick and possibly die, if it's bad enough, un."

"Me-me-me..." with a pout, the cat girl began for the exit of the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, she turned around to give Deidara a mischievous grin before heading down the hallway.

Upon seeing her grin, Deidara came to a horrible realization. "She has a plan, un!" he shouted to himself as he followed her.

The green-haired kunoichi ran down the hallways until she reached the room of Kisame. With a good head start, she was able to take her time in quietly opening the door before the blond could catch up to her.

Deidara came to a dramatic halt in the doorway of Kisame's room. Aina was already inside, Kisame still asleep, reaching into the tank where his two goldfish, Yin and Yang, were.

"Oh, no. Oh, no! AINA! Bad kitty, un!" he shouted, running into the room to grab her and pull her away from the tank.

"What is..." Kisame attempted to ask, sitting up. His words were stopped by the sight of Deidara attempting to drag a kitty Aina out of his room. "Huh?"

"You can't eat Kisame's fish, un!"

"But you won't let me have 'people food' and I'm hungry!"

"Ugh, is it too early in the morning for this...Look, I'm gonna go back to sleep for five minutes, and then I'll deal with you two," the shark man concluded, pulling the blanket back over him, making sure to cover his head.

"Come on, Aina...you can have some Cheerios, they at least look like cat food, un," the blond attempted to reason, gently pulling at his girlfriend.

"But that's like yucky, dry food~. What if I want something like Fancy Feast?"

"Then you might wanna talk to Kakuzu, un."

"I'll stick with dry food..."

"Good kitty. Come on, let's get you your breakfast, un."

:::::

Sasori sat on his workbench, working on one of his newest projects. A familiar knock softly came a rap, rap, rapping upon the wood of the door.

"Emi's tapping at my bedroom door," the scorpion blinked, knowing immediately that it was his girlfriend. "You can come in, I implore."

"Nevermore!" said girl chimed, opening said door.

"Huh?" brown eyes blinked in question.

"Nevermore!" she said again. "I said 'nevermore!'"

"Oh! Ha ha..." he smiled. "Clever girl..."

The lavender-haired girl giggled, joining him at his workbench behind him. "So, are you dressing up?"

"Huh?"

"For the Halloween party tonight!"

"Oh... Honestly, I wasn't planning to," he shrugged, his attention back on his work.

Emi's face faltered slightly. "But Danna... Maybe.. you could dress up as the Phantom?"

"Of the Opera?" His brow raised.

"Well, yeah..." she continued, a light blush on her face. "I was... well... going to dress up as Christine..."

"I can do that."

"Really?" her face lit up, excitement shone in her purple-blue eyes.

The puppeteer couldn't help but return a smile. "Really. I'm Akasuna no Sasori, remember? I can do anything."

"Arigatou!" Emi hugged the man, her joy overwhelming her. Sasori couldn't help but laugh and embrace the girl.

"It's nothing."

:::::

In the family room, Hidan, Tobi, Deidara, and the three Akatsuki girls made themselves busy decorating the room with Halloween decor. Sasori sat, minding his own business with "Puppeteering for the Almost Average Puppeteer, Vol. 3," while Deidara struggled to keep Tobi from being of any "help."

"No, Tobi! You can't do that, un!"

"Why not, Sempai~?" Tobi asked. "Tobi wants to hang the lights up too~"

"Bad idea, un!"

"But Sempai!"

"I'll just hang the darn lights up, Jashin!" Hidan growled, yanking the lights from the childish man and heading over to plug them in. He pulled up a hammer and some nails, aiming the tool at one of the nails as he held it up against the rope lights.

"Hidan," Konan spoke up, "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

"Why the heck not?" he retorted, still aiming. "It's not like I'm gonna break the darn things or anything."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Look, there's nothing wrong with hammering in some-"

_!_

"GYAHHH!" the man when flying backwards, his back hitting the floor as the lights he had just nailed quite literally went out. The lights of the hide out flickered a couple times before going out themselves.

Sasori let out a sigh before closing his book. "I'll go check the fuse box," he grumbled as he got up to go the basement.

"Whoa~" Hidan started, his tone hinting at a grin. "Everything got, like, really dark in here!"

"Hidan, are you all right?" Emi asked, worry in her voice.

"Who's there? Jashin? Wait a minute...I thought you were a man..."

"I'm not Jashin, I'm Emi."

"But, what if you are Jashin~?"

"But I'm not Jashin."

"Aw, darn it all...I was hoping I'd finally get to meet you..."

"Gomen," she weakly smiled to him. She then looked to Aina. "I think he needs help."

"I agree. Do you think you can handle him?"

"Yeah, I'll take him to his room."

The blue-purple eyed girl began to help the silver-haired man up so he could walk. "I'm thinking a rhinoceros..."

"I think rhinoceros' are lovely," Emi played along as they left. "What sort of shoes do you suppose they would wear?"

"Converse. Orange and blue converse..."

"Ah, that would be exquisite."

"Well, I suppose we can't continue to decorate until the lights are back on," Aina stated.

"Yeah, the dark is making it hard, un."

"So...I'm thinking of a number betwee-"

"Pi," every one left in the room answered in unison.

"Gah, darn it all! You all got it! And so fast too!"

"Aina, dearest, you always pick the same number, un."

"Oh, heh heh, I guess that would do it, huh?" she grinned cheesily.

"Just a little, un..."

:::::

_Thumm thumm thumm thumm_ went a peculiar sound reverberating throughout the halls of the head quarters. Everyone had just finished any assignments or chores they may have had through the day.

"What on earth is that noise?" Kisame frowned unapprovingly.

Itachi merely shrugged. "Pounding. Vibrations. Rebounding..."

"No, Itachi, I didn't mean something that vague and obvious."

"You asked."

"I say we check it out!" Aina chimed in. "I'm pretty sure it's coming from the party room."

"I think it's about time we start the party anyways, un," the medic's blond boyfriend added.

"But who would be starting it already?" Kisame lifted a... non-hairy brow.

"We won't know until we look, I suppose," Emi smiled, already heading to the source of the noise with Aina.

"Then again, maybe it's _not _what we think it is," Deidara thought out loud as the group followed the two down the hall. "I mean, what if someone's trying to break in, un?"

"We have seals," Sasori answered.

"People can break them, un."

"Shut up, brat."

"Fine, fine," he sighed. Then suddenly got an idea, followed with a very devilish grin. "Maybe it's a monster or something, un?"

"There's no such thing, brat."

"There could be! Remember, ninja can summon some pretty crazy things!" he retorted, making his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, one specific person in general. "I'm pretty sure _zombies_ or _the dead_ _in general_ could be brought back to life to haunt people, un!"

"Don't say that!" the red-head snapped, knowing right away that saying such things would worry his girlfriend. For Pete's sake, she couldn't even handle _scary movies_...

"Just sayin', un!"

The two silently decided to let the topic go as the group continued down the hallways. As they got closer, the music became louder, becoming loudest just outside the party room.

"Well, it's definitely coming from here," Itachi stated, looking towards the door thoughtfully.

"I guess that means we'll have to just go in and find out ourselves!" the shark-man exclaimed as he dramatically kicked the door open.

In the middle of the floor, Tobi was dressed up as Naruto Uzumaki, break-dancing on some cardboard no one's really sure how he got a hold of. The masked nin (since there was no way he was going without his silly lollipop mask) stopped and looked at the group, who looked back in bewilderment.

"Oh, hi guys!" Tobi, excited, grinned to them. "Now the real party can start!"

"Whatever are you doing, un?" the bomber asked.

"I'm break-dancing! It's very fun to do!"

"Uh... well..."

_Knock knock knock_.

"Hm? Who could that be?" Itachi questioned.

"I'll get it!" Aina chirped before running to the door. Upon reaching it, she held her hand out and grabbed at the handle, turning it to let the door separate from the door frame. "Heeello-Susumu?" The girl's once cheery tone instantly dispersed into a surprised one when she saw the familiar creep at her door.

"Oh! Aina, my sweet!" a grin appeared on his face, eyes seeming to beam and sparkle upon her appearance. "I've brought pizza. Do you live here?"

"Um, no! I-I don't live here... at all..." she stuttered. "No, I don't live here... at all..."

"Oh? Here for a party?" he asked as certain footsteps came up behind her. The brunette frowned when he met his hazel eyes with blue. "Oh... So the blondie lives here..."

"How do you keep _finding_ us, un?" Deidara glared.

"Um, I'm pretty sure _you_ keep finding _me_..."

"Ah! Pizza's here!" Hidan announced as he joined the two to grab the stack of pizza boxes. "Thanks, man!"

The Akatsuki bomber slowly edged his glare towards the silver-haired Jashinist. "Hidan.. I'm gonna kill you as soon as this party's over, un."

"Hey, what'd I do?"

"By the way, Susumu," Aina said with some thought, "what are you wearing?"

"Oh this?" He glanced down at his outfit, the material sported what seemed like velvet. The sleeves poofed out, as well as his shorts. Burgundy tights made themselves known from under said burgundy shorts, whereas his shoes and shirt were gold, adorned with splashes of deep, dark purple. A feather also served as a decor for his Shakespearean hat. "Well, they said we could dress up for Halloween, so... I dressed up as prince charming!"

"Oh, well, sorry," Aina gave him a sympathetic look, "but your princess is in another castle."

"OOOOOOOHHHH, BUUUUUURRRRRRNNNN!" both men present in the peanut gallery chimed.

"Oh, who's at the door?" an excited voice joined the conversation. All four people looked to see the orange masked (and clad) man. "This must be one of Aina-chan's friends! Welcome!" he quickly pushed his way to Susumu, giving the 'prince' a massive hug.

"Um, hi there..." the delivery man was concerned.

"TOBI!" the blond shouted, grabbing on to the other's collar to pull him away. "What do you think you're doing, un?"

"But Sempai~ all of Aina's friends should be given a warm welcome!"

"But Tobi-"

"What's going on here?"

Everyone looked back again, this time meeting the eyes of their leader, Pein. If not for his purple rinnegan eyes, they may not have recognised him under the entire black garb of the ancient ninjas.

"Pein-sama," they all gasped at him.

"Look, Leader-sama! Aina's friend came to bring us pizza!" Tobi jumped up and down.

"Oh, well, that's...interesting. Come in, it's getting cold outside."

"LEADER-SAMA?" both the blond and green-haired ninja shouted in unison.

"The nice man came to deliver a big order of pizza in the cold. The least we can do is let him in for a little bit to warm up. Anyways, look at him, he's already in costume, too."

"But...I...he...but..." the two struggled for words to argue with.

"Arigatou," Susumu smiled, slowly walking into the head-quarters.

"I can't believe this is happening, un..." Deidara found his hand gently hitting his face.

"I can't either..."

:::::

"AWARDSAWARDSAWARDSAWARDS!" Tobi ran shouting throughout the room, arms flailing.

"Whoa! Tobi, calm down, un!" Deidara yelled, trying to stay away from the hyperactive man-cub. "Did you say 'a words, un?'"

"No, AWARDS!"

"Ah, ok," the blond sighed slightly. "Tobi, you need to slow down when you talk... Who gave him caffeine, un?"

"Sorry," Kisame shrugged, "can't put a restriction on the Mt. Dew: 'No Tobis' Allowed!'"

"Ah, that's just great, un..." Sarcasm dripped lightly from the bomber's toungue.

"Who's ready for awards then?" Konan asked, holding a small pile of paper.

"I am!" Aina and Tobi chimed. "Who won, who won?"

"Alright, settle down, all of you," Pein stated, trying not to get a head ache from the children. "Konan, would you do the honors?"

"Well, I figured you would since you're the leader, but I suppose I can do it," she replied, filing through them. "First up is Itachi, for the Most Classic Male costume."

"WHOOO!" the children of the Akatsuki cheered, a few others cheering and clapping. Vampire-clad Itachi couldn't help but smile at the little kiddies before going up to claim his award.

"Next up, Kakuzu," Konan continued, "for the scariest costume."

Sasori gave the old man a look. "What is your costume anyways?"

Said man looked straight ahead indifferently before walking forward. "A zombie."

"Wow, such a surprise there..."

"Quite surprising, indeed."

"Deidara," the angel called out. The blond walked up to claim his prize. "Your award is for... uh, the most "smexy"..."

"HA! I _knew_ I was the smexiest one here, un!" the pirate grinned with pride, taking the slip of shiny paper and nearly skipping back to his place.

"Wow, Sempai!" Tobi chimed. "I had no _idea_ smexy people like you _skipped_!"

"Smexy is smexy no matter _what_ it is, un!"

"Ehem!" Pein cleared his throat. "On to the next award...this one is for Konan, for Most Classic Female Costume."

"Arigatou," she smiled as she took the paper.

"Wait a minute!" Hidan burst out, causing everyone to look at him confused. "We must burn her, she's a witch!"

"On what grounds are you speaking?" Konan gasped.

"You turned me into a newt!"

Every one looked at the Jashinist in bewilderment.

"What, I got better. If you don't believe me, then I know the perfect solution! We'll compare her...to a DUCK!"

"Well, he's lost it," Kakuzu stated beginning to walk away. "I'll take my new partner now."

"I have not, 'Kuzu~!"

"All right, then..." Pein attempted to continue. "Well, the next award is to Kisame, for Most Non-Original Costume."

"What? This is an awesome costume!"

"Well, it just doesn't seem like a costume on you," Itachi reasoned.

"Hey, I thought it was pretty clever, the shark-man being a shark!"

"Then, we have Most Unique Costume, which goes to Emi," the leader handed the youngest member her award.

"Hm, I suppose that is pretty unique," Aina pondered. "I mean, people have gone as the phantom plenty of times, but not many go as Christine herself."

"Arigatou." Emi smiled to the other medic nin. "I'm quite fond of this costume."

"And, I guess we'll get the next female out of the way." Konan reached for another award. "Aina, this is for you."

"I got...MOST KAWAII! MEOW!" the green-haired cat grinned as she grabbed her award. "So...you're most smexy, and I'm most kawaii! It's so cool!"

The blond smiled back to her. "Yeah, I guess we are the most good looking people in this room, un."

"I question that statement," Sasori grumbled.

"Meh," Deidara pushed his comment aside. "So, what's the next award, un?"

"Well, the next award is Sasori's for Most Original."

"Original?" Sasori questioned as the Phantom himself claimed his prize. "Not Drop-dead Smexy?"

"You're too sadistic for that, Puppet Boy," Hidan retorted.

A poisonous glare emanated from the Phantom Sasori as he was just about ready to slice the man's head off yet again with his cord. "I am _not _sadistic, you little..."

"Ah! Sasori no Danna!" Deidara interrupted. "How about you go back to your little puppet girl, un?"

"What?" said man questioned with the greatest look of confusion upon his face. "Emi isn't a puppet..."

"The Phantom of the Opera practically uses Christine as his puppet, un," the blond shot back.

"Huh... Have to say, that's pretty true," Kisame noted. "In the broadway version, there's that one scene with the main theme song... He definitely looked like he was using her like a puppet."

"You guys are ridiculous..." Sasori declared in a low, almost tired tone. "I'd never use her like that."

"Ah, but don't forget!" Hidan clucked. "You're still sadistic! Who knows, maybe you _would_ use her!"

"Why, you...!" A growl bubbled up from his throat as he confronted the taller man, already starting to unbutton his shirt...

"Sasori no Danna!" Emi squeaked, putting herself between the two. "J-just calm down... we can't have a blood bath with Susumu here..."

The red-head looked down to meet her purple-blue eyes before his face softened slightly. "Fine..." he muttered, backing up, making sure to take the girl with him.

"By the way..." the younger added, looking at her award, "doesn't "original" and "unique" basically mean the same thing?"

Sasori's deep brown eyes blinked and looked at her. "I suppose it does..."

"So..." Hidan grinned. "When does the skeleton get his award?"

"Let me see here..." the leader began to file through the papers, finally pulling one out. "Here you go."

The Jashinist yanked the paper from his superior, quickly scanning the larger text. "Least amount of time...THAT'S THE AWARD I GET? WHAT KIND OF FLIPPIN' AWARD IS THAT?"

"The perfect one I'd say," Kakuzu stated. "I mean you spent, what, thirty seconds at most on that. Not that you'd have the attention span for any project lasting much longer than that."

"You know, 'Kuzu, you can be so hurtful. Here I am, looking up to you, and you say such things to me."

"You only look up to me because I'm taller than you. Otherwise, you're nothing but a thorn in my side."

"Fine! You know what, I'm sure Aina will appreciate me, right?" the silver-haired man quickly ran up to said girl, placing an arm around her shoulder.

"Um, well, you do have a cool costume, but I can't really see you having spent two hours on it."

"Ugh! Can no one here appreciate me?"

"I think you're on your own," the miser grumbled under his breath.

"So~" Deidara spoke up. "Maybe we should give out another award before a battle starts...again, un."

"Hm, good idea. Zetsu, where did you go?" Pein-sama asked. Seconds later, the green, black, and white man appeared behind him, phasing through the wall.

"Whoa..." Susumu's eyes widened, confused by what was before him.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki, Susumu." Aina grinned, knowing being here was making him more uncomfortable by the second.

"You're award is Most Predicable."

The plant-man grabbed the paper, studying it. "I told you it was a stupid idea," the black half began.

"Oh, come now. What else are we supposed to do. We're kind of a venus fly trap. Anyways, being a tree is kinda fun, isn't it?" the white half attempted to argue.

"Eh, ok, it is a little amusing, but next year, I get to pick what we're going as."

"Ok, I'm game."

"Oh, look Pein," Konan smiled, holding out another award. "This one's for you."

"Most Unpredictable..." he read aloud. "I'll take that."

"You know, that's pretty clever, un."

"Yeah," Aina agreed. "I mean, who would expect a ninja to go as a _ninja_ for Halloween? Brilliant!"

"Is Tobi next? Is Tobi next?" the orange-masked man began to jump up and down in front of the leaders excitedly. "Tobi wants to know what he got!"

"All right, Tobi. Here you go."

The energetic one grabbed the paper quickly, reading the words. "Ooh, Sempai Sempai! I am Most Humorous!"

"Really, un?" the pirate blond leaned over the other's shoulder to read the paper. "Are you sure that's not a typo, un?"

"What is it supposed to be, Sempai?"

"Most Obnoxious. Do you have any idea how hard it is to look at you with how...ORANGE you are, un?"

"You are a little bit of an eye-sore," Hidan agreed.

"I think you did fine on your costume!" Kisame encouraged the orange ninja.

"Oh, arigatou, Kisame-san! Tobi is happy to hear your words!"

"Well, this means everyone got an award, right?" Aina looked around, seeing everyone holding their awards.

"Actually, there's still one here."

"Huh?" the entire Akatsuki looked to their leader bewildered.

"Who's left, un?"

"Susumu, you get the award for Most Cheesy."

"Wait, I get an award?"

"Well, you showed up in costume, right?"

"I suppose I did..."

"Then here you go." Konan took the paper from the leader, walking over to the prince to give him his award. "Congratulations, your majesty."

The delivery boy grinned. "Ok, I could get used to this."

"Wait..." Aina said slowly. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait... Why does HE get an award? HE wasn't even invited to this party from the start!"

"I already gave you my reason," Pein replied in a simple manner. "And I invited him in anyways."

"When did you invite him?"

"When he gave us the pizza."

"Wow... Leader-sama..." Deidara gave him a look. "You really _are _evil, un."

"Arigatou, Leader-sama," Susumu grinned, going along with what everyone else addressed the orange-haired man as. "I really appreciate it!"

"Leader-sama? _Leader-sama?_" Aina nearly growled. "That's Mr. Pein, to you! Only _we're_ allowed to call him Leader-sama! He is Pein of the Akatsuki of Amegakure to everyone else!"

"But sweetheart," he pouted, "that's such a long title..."

"DON'T CALL MY GIRLFRIEND SWEETHEART, UN!"

"Wow, does everyone here have a short fuse?"

"Tobi is friendly!" said man chimed. "Tobi doesn't have a short fuse like Sempai!"

"Amazing..."

"Can we eat now?" Hidan asked. "I'm starving!"

"That sounds like a good idea, Hidan," Emi agreed, starting to open one of the pizza boxes for the organization. "Who wants some?"

"I do!" Aina and her boyfriend chorused. "Pizza!"

The younger laughed. "Come and get it. You both have hands."

"Hey, only a couple days ago, Deidara only had one!"

"Hey, don't start that again, un!" the blond retorted. "It's not my fault Sadist no Danna caught me!"

"Why does everyone assume I'm a sadist?" Sasori growled. "I'm not a sadist! Right, Emi?"

"Uh... I don't think so...?"

"Really? You think so, too?"

"N-no! Not at all!" she exclaimed to her defense. "I just don't know what everyone considers sadistic is all! I just see you as aggressive!"

"I'd take aggressive over sadistic any day."

"Oh.. ok..."

:::::

"So, who's up for bobbing for apples?" Aina excitedly cheered, walking towards the buckets that had already been prepared.

"I am the master at this game, un!" Deidara grinned.

"Sure you are," the red-head Phantom of the Opera sarcastically commented.

"I am!" he retorted. "Just you watch, un!"

"We'll see..."

"What, you think you can do better, un?"

"Actually, I prefer not to. I would, but all my head would do is float," the puppeteer replied, having no intention of even participating in the silly children's game.

"Your head floats?" the blond questioned, eyebrow raising. "But I thought you sunk, un?"

"I sink because of my _cable_. You know, the one that's located in my _stomach_," the red-head reminded. "Last I checked, I didn't have anything like that in my head."

"You mean, like a brain, un?"

Sasori immediately glared, just about ready to wring the young adult's neck. "Don't make me kill you now, you brat...!"

"Anyways," Aina chimed in, getting between the two, "Dei-Dei, do you want to go first?"

"Eh, I would, but I'm afraid Danna's gonna try to drown me if I do, un."

"Hm, don't blame you," she responded thoughtfully. "Sooo, I think Emi should go first!"

"Hm?" said girl blinked. "Ah, sure, ok."

"Right this way, little girl!" the elder kunoichi grinned, speaking like an announcer. "Step right up!"

"I'm not little, last I checked, I actually had a chest."

Silence instantly overcame the room. Aina, on the other hand, looked completely hurt by this true statement.

"It's ok, Aina, my love," Susumu cried out, attempting to put an arm around her. "_I_ like your chest just the way it is!"

Said girl suddenly looked sick to her stomach. "Susumu, do you have any idea just how perverted that sounds...?"

"Are you _really_ saying that to _my_ girlfriend, un?" Deidara glared venomously at the "prince charming."

"Hey, I have every right!"

"Susumu, you pervert!" The green-haired kunoichi shouted, giving him a nice slap in the face. The prince, from the force of her hand alone, was knocked nearly half-way across the room.

"That's my girl, un," the bomber grinned, giving her a half-hug from beside her.

"Geez... didn't know something like that would strike a chord with her," Kisame looked baffled.

"I didn't know Emi even had the freakin' _backbone_ to say that to _Aina_," Hidan added. "Puppet Boy, you've really got some interesting creature in your hands."

Suddenly, the Jashinist could feel a cold chill run down his spine. His head turned slowly, purple-pink eyes meeting with deadly brown. He could have sworn those eyes were gleaming red, probably from the lighting... But dang...

"_You_ are calling _my Emi_ a _creature_?"

"Agh, crap..." The priest knew what was coming next. He braced himself as Sasori immediately stripped his cloak off, throwing it to the side, a good distance away. Red shimmered from the cape as it dramatically fluttered to the floor. The red-haired phantom then slowly started unbuttoning his white Victorian dress shirt. Hidan felt his heart beat increase each time he undid a button. A gulp could be heard from the silver-haired man's throat as Sasori finished unbuttoning the last button, already having untucked his shirt. The puppeteer finally, like a flash, threw his arms down dramatically, his shirt somehow flawlessly sliding off his arms and nearly floating to the ground like a silk cloud. Just as quickly, his cable went flying and snaked it's way around the victim's throat.

"And here comes the-"

_SHNNK!_

_Ku-plunk!_

"GAH! HIS HEAD!" Susumu shouted in surprise. "HE WAS JUST... THAT GUY JUST..."

"BLABLOBLI, BLU BLEUBLU BLIB!" came Hidan's voice shouting through the water, nothing but bubbling noises making its way to the top.

White as a sheet, Susumu stood, utterly shocked. Was that guy _really_ still alive after being decapitated? Prince charming could feel his legs seem to turn to jello and his vision start to blur. Finally, he wiggled down to the ground, looking as if his bones had been ripped out of him.

"Whoa, dude, the kid just fainted!" Kisame gaped, obviously not realizing that decapitating Hidan was not a normal, daily activity for this boy.

"You know, Sasori," Kakuzu started, heading over the the water-filled bucket. "I'm gonna start charging you every time you whack his head off..."

"Sorry, he just kind of...irks me after a while," the red-head attempted to reason.

The miser said nothing as he reached into the water, pulling out the familiar head of the Jashinist.

"That was just flippin' fantastic there, puppet boy!" the silver-haired head continued to ramble. "You just know that decapitations are my fudging favorite thing, don'tcha? Well, as soon as I get my head back on, you can be darn sure that I'm gonna give you a dose of your own frackin' medicine!"

"You're going to give your head two days before you do anything, Hidan," Kakuzu stated as he began the stitching process. "Otherwise, you'll risk your head falling off again."

"Goodness, you think I don't know that! You're such a nag!"

"So..." Aina knelt down before the fallen prince. "What are we gonna do about Susumu?"

"Drive him to the edge of town and leave him for dead, un?"

"Naw, he'll probably come around soon," the shark concluded.

"So, what do we do then?" Tobi asked.

"He'll come around," Pein replied. "Just put him on the couch until he comes to."

Itachi nodded and did the job, just to get him out of the way. "So, should we actually eat pizza since our bobbing-for-apples game is soiled?"

"I like that idea," Emi chimed. "I'm getting a little hungry."

"FOOD!" Aina yelled and went to get more slices of pizza.

Everyone nodded their agreements and left to get cups and plates for their food. Deidara started to follow, but paused and turned to the brunette wuss-in-boots on the couch. Then he glanced to the bucket full of bloody water and apples. Suddenly, the most mischievous grin lurked its way across the bomber's face. Looking back to make sure no one noticed, he made his way over to Susumu and picked him up, walking over to the bucket.

"Wait until you wake up, un? I don't think so." And with that, he dropped the limp body of the prince into the bucket. Red water and fruit splashed and purged the entirety of the part-timer's body and head, waking him up instantly.

"GAH! What the-?" Susumu looked around frantically, trying to figure out what had just taken place. Deidara, on the other hand, had already made his way to the kitchen to make it seem as if he had done absolutely nothing.

"Took you long enough, Dei-dei!" the green-haired ninja chimed. "You almost missed the pizza!"

"Eh, just had a last minute thing to take care of, un," the blond pirate explained, heading over to the boxes of greasy deliciousness.

The door suddenly burst open, revealing a wet, bloody, and irritated prince charming. "YOU PEOPLE ARE ALL NUTS!" the prince screamed at the top of his lungs.

Everyone looked to him, then to Deidara, back to Susumu, back to the blond...

"What, un?"

"Deidara...what did you do to him?" Pein asked.

"Just helped him to wake up a little, no big deal, un."

"NO BIG DEAL? I'M COVERED IN YOUR FRIEND'S BLOOD!"

Aina took a step towards Susumu. "Here, let me escort you to the bathroom where you can take a shower and-"

"NO!" he jumped back. "I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS PLACE! When you finally learn how crazy these people are, I'll happily let you into my world of normality, Aina!"

With that, the bloody prince was gone. The entire Akatsuki stood silently, the only sound being Hidan's chewing of his pizza.

"Well, that was exciting!" the Jashinist exclaimed. "I say we invite him over more often!"

"No!" both Aina and Deidara yelped at the same time.

The silver-haired man just let out a sigh. "You two just don't know how to have fun."

:::::

AN: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. I hope it was worth the wait, too! Again, I appologize. Sakura and I did a wonderful job of being distracted (writers block combined with smexy pics of Sasori and Deidara will do that...), but barely managed to finish it in time! We're hoping to have the next chapter up a little quicker, so look forward to it soon!

~Nino and Sakura


	28. Bonus Chapter from Etanaru Aina!

Bonus Chapter From Etanaru Aina!

Hello, fans! Wow, to think that this story is going so well! Who would have thought the story of my life-

**"Ehem!" Deidara coughed as he watched Aina write on the paper.**

**"Huh?" said girl gave him a confused look.**

**"You mean to write 'the story of OUR life,' un,"**

**"Oh," Aina gasped in realization. "Ah, gomen."**

...the story of our life! Thank you all so very much for commenting on this so far! Do you know how cool this is, to be some little girl from the slums of Amegakure and be recognized and loved so much by so many people? It's AWESOME! So, I found myself thinking: I don't have any missions, no one who's out will be back for a couple days (meaning if they got injured, they won't be back yet for me to heal them), and I have quite the amount of free-time! So, mayhaps I should write my fans a letter!

So, here's my special treat for you! So, do you know about the data books that Masashi Kishimoto made for the Naruto series? Well, it just so happens that for Emi and I, we have a 'data page' that tells all the same information about us as the data books say about all the characters, like those of the Akatsuki! So, I thought I could post them for you!

:::::

Name: Etanaru Aina

Age: 18

Date of Birth: April 2

Zodiac: Aries

Height: 163 cm (5'4'') (BTW, Deidara is 166 cm!)

Weight: 46 kg (102 lbs)

Blood Type: AB

Favorite Food: Beef Stew

Least Favorite Food: Milk (Yuck! That stuff is so gross!)

Hobbies: Gardening of medical herbs, coloring in coloring books

Person Most Desired to Fight: Tsunade (I mean, I have to figure out if I'm better than her!)

:::::

Name: Tsukanoma Emi

Age: 16

Date of Birth: May 18

Zodiac: Taurus

Height: 155 cm (5'1'') (BTW, Sasori is 163 cm)

Weight: 44 kg (97 lbs)

Blood Type: B

Favorite Food: Udon and Sushi

Least Favorite Food: Unusual Foods (Ok, what does this even MEAN?)

Hobby: Drawing

Person Most Desired to Fight: No one (I mean, really? Could you see Emi picking a fight with ANYONE? And I'm not counting that one time she punched Deidara in the nose either...)

:::::

Pretty cool, huh? And yes, I do share a birthday with Hidan...though, he likes to fight over it (Hidan: It's MY birthday because I was born before you by what, 3 years? Aina: Um, I think you mean four years... Hidan: Close enough!). Thankfully, Deidara and Emi (and to an extent Sasori) still think of it as my day! :)

So...what are some other stuff you'd want to know about us...? OH! I know! Some of our favorite things to do with our boyfriends, right? I mean, most of you are probably silly fan-girls (not that there's a problem being silly...I mean, look at me!) who are here because it's a cute romance story with a ton of hilarious comedic moments, right? So...

Deidara and I enjoy doing a lot of things together. We like to watch movies, take naps (no, we don't 'sleep together,' since I know SOMEONE'S gonna ask...), color in coloring books, star gaze, and stir up chaos, panic, and disorder around the Akatsuki base. I mean, someone's gotta do it, why not us? ;)

As for Emi and Sasori...let me see here...I know they like to talk, mostly about Emi (Sasori's not one to talk about himself, but he's always asking her questions: "How was your day today?" "How was breakfast/lunch/dinner?" "How is the medical herb garden going (since Emi helps me with it...heh heh, I can be forgetful about watering it at times...)" "Is there anything I can do for you?" Exc exc exc...). They also enjoy watching movies, usually of Emi's choosing. And Sasori reads while Emi draws. I think they've also gone star gazing a couple times, too...

So, now maybe you'd like to know a little bit about Emi and I's relationships with the rest of the Akatsuki, right? Well, whether you do or not, here we go!

For me, I have a pretty good relationship with pretty much everyone. I think of Itachi as like an older brother, and Kisame always seems to enjoy my company as I enjoy his (Think back to the zoo if you think we never talk). Tobi is one of my favorite coloring partners (Deidara being the only person I'd rather color with). Hidan, at first, was pretty crude, but after a while, he started to get better... a little. And Kakuzu, well, he and I aren't on BAD terms, per say...can't say I'd call him my best friend, either, though. I don't actually get to see much of Zetsu...but he's pretty cool when you get to know him, both of him! As for me and Sasori, we don't talk just the two of us very often, but I suppose we don't mind each other at all. I think he knows how close Emi and I are and tries to be nice to me for her sake...otherwise, I might be getting injured as much as Deidara! And last, but not least, Pein and Konan. They are both really nice. Konan is very much like the mom of the Akatsuki, keeping all of us 'kids' in line. And Pein, he's like a cool dad (though I have an awesome dad, too!). I personally appreciate the updates he gives me on my parents, as my father is a ninja for Amegakure. :)

Emi: She's very shy, but she still talks to just about everyone. I think Zetsu's the only one she's still scared of...her strongest relationship is with Sasori, then me. Her and Deidara seem to get along just fine, too. Though Deidara can have his moments...She also sees Itachi as a brother, especially since they are of the same village. They can talk about people and places and know what the other is referring too. Kisame seems to be pretty nice to her, too. But who here is Kisame not nice to is the real question. Emi and Hidan, well, Hidan just has no idea how to be a nice person, and Emi's pretty sensitive...so I think you can see how THAT works...as for Kakuzu, I think he doesn't mind her, but he doesn't talk to many of us anyways. He's usually yelling at Hidan about this, that, or the other thing. Tobi seems to like her a lot, and she likes him too, I think. She's like me and takes humor to his overly-childishness. Like I stated earlier, Zetsu still scares her. I think she still has trouble with him just phasing his way in through the walls without warning, personally. Pein is very fond of her and has high hopes for her as a medic nin! Emi and Konan get together very well, too. I think she and Konan confide in each other a lot, when Emi's not confiding in me.

And now for Emi and I's relationship with each other! We have a sempai kohai relationship. Since Emi wasn't properly trained in medical ninjutsu, it's my job here with the Akatsuki to teach her so we can both help heal them when they get injured in battle. But also...I see Emi as like a little sister. I had a brother, but I've always wanted a sister! Emi makes for the perfect little sister! I enjoy talking to her about all sorts of things and feel like I could tell her anything. She's just so cute and adorable too~!

Well, I think that's about all I can think of for this letter to all of you! I just feel you need a reward for being so wonderful and faithful to us! I feel we have a cool story to tell, being part of an 'evil organization' and all! So, let me know if there's any other questions you want me to answer, and I'll happily respond to them! Arigatou Fans!

~Etanaru Aina!

P.S. Did you remember to say 'Happy Birthday' to Sasori? It was earlier this month, on the eighth! He wouldn't let us throw him a party (party pooper...) but we did all wish him a happy birthday! :)

**Aina finished typing the last of the words on the Akatsuki computer. She grinned to herself as she prepared to post her newly typed words on the internet for the world to see. Deidara had been watching the entire time, playing with her green hair, and gave her an approving nod when she looked over her shoulder to him.**

**"What do you think everyone's gonna say when they find out I posted this?" she asked him, a grin obvious with her tone.**

**"I dunno, but it'll most certainly be interesting. I'm sure Hidan will find a way to complain about how you've described him on here, un,"**

**"He walked himself into this, though."**

**"So true, that's why I say we post it anyway, un!"**

**"Of course! I hope the readers like this..."**

**:::::**

****AN: Oh, snap! You guys just got a special message from Aina herself? That's awesome! Well, I wanna try to not put a long AN here, but there is one thing I think you guys should all know: the reason it took us 14 days to post a new chapter.

Lately, we have been having a more...sporadic schedule for posting new chapters. This is my fault (as in Nino). Some stuff has just been happening in my life that is not very cool and it's been making it hard for us to work on this. It's not fare for Sakura to have to write the whole thing, so I am going to try very hard to be able to get more done on this. Please don't worry about me though, I will be fine, it's just I'm needing more sleep that normal, so I can't be staying up until 2 in the morning writing.

WE ARE NOT DEAD...yet...unless Hidan finds us, but that's a whole other story for another day...

So, hopefully by the end of the month (at the latest), we'll have the next chapter up! Sanku for sticking with us, and we promise to have more wonderful (and to an extent fluffy) shenanigans and hi-jinx soon!

~Nino and Sakura 3


	29. Cute Doesn't Even Begin to Cover It

AN: Holy long-time-since-an-update, Batman! I do apologize, it is my (Nino) fault. School...and home...and whatnot...ANYWHO! We're not hear to sulk in sorrow! No, we are here to bask in the fun that is the Akatsuki! So, here's the next installment of our story!

Chapter 27: Cute Doesn't Even Begin to Cover It

"EMI!" Aina shouted at the top of her lungs. "WANNA HELP ME IN THE MEDICAL GARDEN?"

Emi made her way out of the room, hearing the girl's scream all the way from the kitchen. "Oh, yeah, I'll be right there!" she replied, hurrying toward the source of the voice. Reaching the room, she spotted the all-too-familiar green hair and noticed an approving grin on her friend's face.

"Alright!" the elder chimed, holding a couple gardening tools. "Let's get this garden growin'!"

A chuckle escaped the purple-blue eyed girl's lips as she followed Aina out the door. "When you say 'we,' I hope you don't mean just 'me.'"

"Hey! I help!" Aina retorted. "I just... forget...! Sometimes..."

"Ah ha! Alright," Emi laughed. "Whatever floats your skirt up."

"Ew! Who in their right mind would wear o... Oh, wait, you and Hidan do."

"Ew! Don't remind me of _that_ picture!"

The two girls began to laugh as they walked down the hallways. It wasn't long before they reached a door leading outside, where their small garden was built.

"Hello, garden!" Aina grinned as the door closed behind them. Emi chuckled inwardly at Aina's behavior of talking to inanimate objects. "Well, Emi, shall we get started?"

"Yes!"

A couple hours later, after much talking and giggling, the garden seemed in much better shape than before. Weeds were pulled, new plants planted, water was given to every plant (now, let's see how long it takes Aina to remember to do this again...)...It was like a whole new garden.

"Wow," brown eyes beamed as Aina observed their work.

"It does look very nice," Emi also found herself smiling.

"Well, I think it's time for a nice cup of tea. What about you?"

"I suppose that would be nice. We worked hard today."

"That we did. Want me to get it started while you gather our tools?"

"Sure."

The two girls smiled to each other as the elder medic nin went inside. Emi walked along the edge of the garden, looking for tools to pick up. As she reached the end, a small movement caught her attention.

Purple-blue eyes blinked at the movement. 'What could it be...?' she pondered as she slowly moved closer, making no sounds. Her small hand slowly reached out, pushing one of the plants out of the way to reveal the source of the movement...

A bunny. A cute, fluffy, brown, wide-eyed bunny.

"Ah!" Emi found herself gasping in delight at the small creature. With slow movements, she was able to pick up the small ball of fluff, holding it close to her. "Why, aren't you cute and friendly?" she smiled to it, gently rubbing it's head between it's ears. "Oh, how I wish I could keep you, but then Leader-sama would be upset with me..."

Then the idea hit her. "But Leader-sama wouldn't have to know..." she began as she carefully placed the bunny in the small box for the gardening tools, "...so long as I keep you safe in my room. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

With that, the small medic nin made her way inside the hideout, quickly heading for her room before anyone found out about her new companion.

Casually, yet cautiously as possible, Emi walked with light steps, poking her head around corridors every time she reached the end of a hall before moving on. She was too focused on getting to her room to realize she had left the gardening tools in the box she kept the bunny in instead of dropping the tools off in their rightful place like she had planned. Peeking through a door, seeing that there was no sign of any living beings in the room, she sighed lightly and started to widen the space between the door and its frame...

"Oh, Emi," she jerked at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice. She turned around, hiding the gardening tool box behind her back casually, facing her red-headed boyfriend. "Back from gardening, I assume?"

"Oh, yes...!" Emi smiled, trying to be as "normal" as possible, whatever normal was. "I'm just returning the tools is all."

An eyebrow raised on the man's face. "But... don't you usually put the tools in the room closest to the garden? You're far past it..."

_Kl-ang!_

"What the...?" Sasori attempted to look behind the girl, spotting a tool on the floor. "Emi, you dropped one... A tool, I mean..."

Emi's face suddenly flushed, slight strums of nervousness threatening to vibrate its way up into her voice as she bent down to pick up the tool backwards. "O-oh...? I suppose I did! Aha, well, then, I'll just pick it up and go put the tools back!"

"Emi, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes! I'm fine!" she gave a nervous chuckle and started inching into the room behind her. "Well, I'll just go now, ok? I'll see you later!"

With that, she quickly went into the room and closed the door behind her, already running to get to her room. Left on the other side was a very baffled puppet master.

"Something's not right..." he speculated in his confusion. "Especially since she just went the wrong way... again..."

~6 Weeks Later... (Oh, new concept! Time skips!)~

The front door of the base slowly opened. The young ninja peeked her head in, purple hair attempting to fall in front of her face as she scouted. 'Good, no sign of anyone,' she sighed inwardly to herself before quickly stepping in. In her arms was a brown bag full of lettuce.

She quickly made her way down the hallways till she reached her room. As soon as she was in, the door was closed and the bag was placed on her bed. Now in private, she walked over to her closet, opening the door slowly.

"Hello, mommy's home," she smiled as she reached for a large box. As she pulled it out, she came to a horrible realization:

It was empty.

"Where-where did you all go?" she gasped, panic in her voice. "Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no!"

Thirteen bunnies. Thirteen bunnies were supposed to occupy the small box. One mommy bunny and twelve baby bunnies. But...not a single one was there.

"Pein-sama's going to be so upset with me..."

"Tobi is a good boy~ Tobi is a good boy~"

Said ninja Tobi was singing as he skipped down the hallways of the hideout. His orange mask bobbed as he swayed his head from side to side with his little song.

"This is cuz Zetsu-san says Tobi is a good boy~"

Finally, the energetic ninja entered the kitchen. His singing was halted when he noticed a small white ball in the center of the room.

"Oh, hello there, little white poof! I am Tobi and Tobi is a good boy!" he shouted as he picked it up. Upon doing so, he came to the discovery that the 'white poof' happened to have two long ears and two adorable black eyes.

He couldn't hold in a gasp of joy. "You are a bunny!" Tobi jumped up and down with the small bunny. "I'm gonna name you Flufferz and we will have fun and we'll do all sorts of fun stuff and I'll introduce you to Matto-sempai and..." the orange-masked man began to ramble as he walked out of the kitchen with the bunny 'Flufferz.'

"Rasengan!" the repetitive voice shouted from the TV as a swirling blue orb formed around the orange-clad ninja's palm, gaining the help of two shadow clones to build said orb before he moved in to attack. Kakuzu and Hidan sat there, watching the program as per usual.

"Ah, come on!" Hidan complained to the screen. "You can hit that annoying little "believe it" brat! It's easy! Just hit him for Jashin's sake!"

"Shut up, Hidan," the miser rolled his green and red eyes. "It's just a TV program."

"A flippin' stupid one!"

"Why are you watching it if it's so stupid to you?"

"Because it's frackin' hilarious to watch this punk!"

The older man sighed. He would never be able to understand the stupid punk right beside him... even if he was right about how the character on TV was an annoying little "believe it" brat.

Suddenly, the old zombie fart felt a nudge against his foot. He looked down in great question. "Hidan, you aren't trying to pull that stupid "footsie" game on me again, are you...?"

"Huh?" Hidan gave him a look. "What are you talking about 'Kuzu?"

"What..." said man started to ask bluntly, picking up a brown ball of fur, "is this...?"

"That...?" the Jashinist studied-actually _studied_ the ball hanging in his companion's hand. "It looks like a... rabbit...?"

"...No fricken' way. I had _NO_ idea..."

"Oh, shut the frick up, 'Kuzu!" Hidan glared, suddenly feeling a nudge against his own foot. He looked down and found another rabbit-a white one. He picked it up to look at it. "You know, I could use these as sacrifices to Jashin..."

"No, stupid, we could sell these and get money."

"But Jashin needs a sacrifice! He hasn't had one for months now!"

"You just sacrificed one two weeks ago..."

"Same concept!"

"I still think we should sell them," Kakuzu insisted. "When you breed them, they reproduce quickly and in good quantities. We could get good money off of little girls..."

"Little girls aren't going to have the money, 'Kuzu," he retorted. "Unless you get them to pay with something _else_..."

"Get your head out of the gutter, idiot!"

"What? I'm just sayin'! They're all gonna get banged up eventually anyways!"

Another sigh. Why did the miser have to be with this... this _imbecile_?

"Anyways..." the silver-haired man took another look at the bunny he held. It was completely white, where as the inside of the ears, the nose, and the eyes were pink and red. "I'll sacrifice them... Not this one though... This one's pretty frackin' snazzy. He can help me sacrifice the other one!"

"Hidan... It's a rabbit..."

"A frackin' snazzy one!" he corrected. "And he shall be named the greatest name one can receive! Jashin Jr.!"

Face palm. Just face palm.

"So, then my question is: what is the average speed of an unladen swallow?" Aina started, reaching a hand to the door knob.

"African, or European, un?" her blond companion, Deidara, asked in return. A brief moment of silence fell between the two before they bursted into laughter.

The two ninja had been out on a mission for the past week, and were just returning home. Aina allowed Deidara into the hideout before closing the door and resealing the protection jutsu on the door. They continued to laugh about their conversation until they passed by the family room. The medic nin came to a halt, causing the explosion expert to stop a few feet ahead of her.

"Aina, un..." he seemed confused as he walked backwards to stand next to her.

"Bunny," she simply stated.

"Bunny, un?"

Sure enough, on one of the sofas was a small brown bunny. It looked at them, and they looked at it. Brown and blue eyes meet the black ones in a contest of who could figure out who first.

"Why...do you suppose there's a bunny on the sofa?"

"This is the Akatsuki, Aina...things just kinda happen here, un..."

"True," the green-haired girl shrugged her shoulders before continuing to walk.

"Hey, wait up, un!" Deidara called out to her after a minute longer of looking at the bunny. Once caught up to her, he slowed his pace. "Well, that's pretty strange, isn't it, un?"

"Yeah, I never thought Pein-sama would approve of a pet, let alone one that isn't in a cage at all times."

Another moment of companionable silence went between the two, before Aina abruptly stopped again. Deidara shuffled to a stop, looking back at her.

"What now, un?"

"Bunny..."

Deidara looked behind her, and sure enough, the same bunny was behind them, this time in the hallway.

"Wha...?" was all the blond could manage, looking at the brown creature.

Aina walked past Deidara, taking it a little slower. Reluctantly, the bomber followed her. Ten paces later, she quickly turned around, Deidara following suit.

Again, the bunny had been following them.

Blue eyes blinked a couple times. "That's just...wierd, un."

"No kidding."

A few more paces forward, and a quick pivot back. A few more paces forward, and a quick pivot back. A few paces forward, and a quick pivot back.

The bunny was still behind them.

"What is his deal, un?" Deidara finally shouted.

"Since when was it a 'he?'" Aina puzzled.

"Um...I dunno, un... anyways, why does it keep following us?"

"Maybe it thinks we are it's parents."

"Do I look like a bunny to you, un?"

"I dunno," Aina grinned, raising her hand to her chin. "You're hair poof could be misleading. It could look like a bunny-butt..."

"Really, un?"

"Really."

"Great, either you're saying my face is ugly, or my butt is cute, and I don't know which, un!"

"Maybe I mean both," the green-haired girl mused, continuing down the hallway.

"Bunnieees..." the lavender-haired girl called out in a whisper, purple-blue eyes looking desperately for any bunny ears, fur, or tufts of fuzz, hopefully attached to a bunny butt. "Buuuunniiiiieeeess...! Ohh.. Where did you all go...?"

"Emi..." a voice spoke. The young girl quickly looked behind her to see Sasori with a perplexed look on his face. "What, might I ask, are you looking for, calling out for bunnies?"

"Sa-SASORI!" Eyes nearly shot out from their sockets as she turned around to face him. "N-Nothing! Nothing at all! What are you talking about? Bunnies? We have those around here? Ha ha, I've never seen _any_ bunnies around here! Have you?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I've seen no such thing. However, you have been acting strange...almost secretive, for the past six weeks now. Care to share anything?"

"Sh-share? Secretive?" Emi felt her palms begin to sweat, her face flush of its rosy color. "I-I haven't been acting strange at all, Danna! Honest, I haven't!"

Sasori's head tilted to the side at her comments. "I'm honestly beginning to question that as the seconds go by. Are you _sure_ there's nothing you'd like to share now?"

"Yes! I'm sure! I have absolutely nothing!" she reassured him spasmodically. "Really! Nothing! Nothing in my stupid little head! Ha ha! I'm gonna go now...!" Emi gave him an anxious grin and started for the nearest exit from his presence.

"I don't think so," he quickly stated, a hand simultaneously reaching for her shoulder, successfully stopping her movement. "I'm thinking we have a major problem here, and that you are the source of it. Now, are you going to just admit what's going on, or are we gonna play twenty questions?"

"Ah?" Her face paled. This was not good. This was not good at all. "Ah... I-I'm too stupid to explain things! And how about we play twenty questions once I think of answers for all of them?"

"Question one: Did you bring the bunnies into the hideout, let them multiply, then accidentally let them loose?" he asked, giving her no chance to think.

"Bunnies? There are bunnies here?" she replied, almost panicked, yet trying to sound innocent. "I didn't know! Honestly...!"

"Emi, you should take a look behind you..."

Immediately, her eyes darted to look in the said direction. And there it was, a bunny, casually moseying its way down the hallway. Her eyes went wider than ever as she took a step forward, only to stop herself. "BU- Uh..! Th- ah.. O-oh, my gosh! It's a bunny!"

"I don't see why you're acting so surprised by it. I know you've been behind this all along," Sasori began. "Did you really think no one saw you bringing home bags of lettuce and not bringing it into the kitchen? I really don't see a little person like you eating _that_ much in a fast enough span for it to not spoil..."

"Lettuce isn't filling! It's like sushi! I can eat 100 pieces in a day, if I wanted and STILL not have enough to eat!"

'Why does this not make sense to me?' the scorpion quickly pondered, before clearing his throat. "Emi, can we please quit this game and just admit you snuck a bunny into the hideout? I'd really like to get this situation taken care of...soon."

"NEVER!" she shouted and ran for the bunny, picking it up as she went. She was _NOT _admitting that she did this... Not _before_ she retrieved all of the bunnies.

The red-head was startled by the quick moment, taking a second to recover. "Emi! Emi, get back here!" he called out, giving chase. 'This just isn't going to end well, is it?'

"There you go, Flufferz! All nice and snug!" the masked ninja chimed as he set his new little friend in a box, Matto-sempai being the cushion for the animal. "You'll like it here very much, Flufferz! Yup yup!"

Flufferz just looked up at the crazy man, eyes innocent, big, wide, shiney...

"Oooohhhh, you're just so cute!" Tobi giggled as he picked the baby rabbit up and snuggled it against his masked face.

"EMI, GET BACK HERE!" came Sasori's voice as Emi ran past Tobi's open door. She too, Tobi noticed, was holding a little brown bunny.

"NEVER!" the girl shouted, speeding down the hall.

"EMI!"

Tobi sat there. Baffled, for once. Never had he seen the two chasing-_FIGHTING and YELLING_ at each other... Ever.

"Wow, Flufferz," he said in a straight voice, a hint of confusion. "I really didn't think they had it in them."

And now, we go to Hidan. Crouched in a position ready to pounce, he slowly maneuvered his way closer to the kitchen table. He bared his teeth, letting out a small growl as he came closer to his target.

"Now, I'm gonna get'cha, little fuzz ball..." he whispered. "I'm gonna get'cha and sacrifice you to Jashin and we'll see how you like it."

Closer and closer he got to the small brown target. It's black eyes looked at the strange man. I mean, it's not every day you see a twenty-two year old down on his hands and knees imitating a lion about to catch a zebra, right? Anyways...

Hidan now stood around five feet from the bunny. Without warning, the rabbit began to take off, the Jashinist leaping towards it.

"HA!" he shouted, holding the small animal in the air with pride. "I GOT'CHA! HIDAN CAUGHT YOU, YOU LITTLE-"

"EMI!"

"NO! NEVER!"

Purple-pink eyes blinked as two blurs whizzed by, the first one purple and the second red.

"JUST STOP RUNNING A MINUTE!"

"NO, I WONT!"

"Huh?" the silver-haired man managed, completely at a loss for words. As he attempted to figure out what would possess Sasori to chase after Emi, his grip on the bunny loosened enough for the bunny to escape. "Wha- NO! Get back here you little-"

A soft light shown in a darkened room as our... somehow beloved Kakuzu went scribbling away roughly, graphite against paper...

"Let's see... if it reproduces four to twelve every thirty days, then it can get pregnant and go into labor once a month, therefore, it can be with kits twelve times a year..." he mumbled to himself. A rattle came from a cage beside him. He eyed the brown bunny he had picked up before Hidan could find it, before continuing his calculations. "So it can be either four times twelve, which is 48 or twelve times twelve, which is 144... Therefore, if I sell each one for about $150, then I should make somewhere between $7,200 and $21,600 a year..."

"EMI!" he heard Sasori shout, causing him to flinch slightly.

"NO!" she screamed back as he heard the two dash past his room.

A few moments later, their voices had soon faded. Finally, the miser sighed.

"Something tells me _she's_ the reason behind this..." he mused before continuing his mathematical calculations.

"There we go, un," Deidara said as he lowered the small brown bunny into the box. Once back in the blonde's room, they rummaged around until they found a box that would fit the small creature.

"Think he'll be happy there?" Aina asked, standing next to her boyfriend, looking at the soft brown fur.

"I think so, at least until we can get him back into the wild, un."

"He does have to go, doesn't he..." the green-hair girl pouted a little.

"Yeah, so don't get attached to him too much. Pein-sama wouldn't like us keeping him, un."

"He is kinda cute though. Maybe would could give him a name, you know, so we can stop calling him 'him.'"

"What kind of name would we give him? Anyways, he's just a bunny that will only be here for a short while, un."

"I know, I just...he's so...adorable," she said, looking at the bunny with love-filled brown eyes.

Deidara let out a sigh. "Well, I won't stop you from naming him, but I've no ideas on the topic either, un."

"I know! We'll name him Harry!"

"Harry..." the bomber let the name roll on his tongue. "I think that's a good name for him."

"Goodness," Aina laughed. "We sound like a newlywed couple with their first child!"

"Huh, I suppose we kinda do...and he's just a bunny, un."

"He's not just a bunny! He's Harry."

"Sorry, un."

"NEVER!" the shout rang down the hallways before the source of the sound sped past the open bedroom door.

"EMI! LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT THIS!"

"Whoa," Aina's brown eyes widened as they watched the familiar red-head run after Emi. "Wonder what's up with them..."

"First major fight, un?"

"We've never had a major fight..."

"Well, then I guess we're doing better than them, now aren't we, un?"

Both began to laugh after a brief moment. "I suppose so."

"EMI!"

"NEVER!"

"EMI!" Sasori cried out again before he was finally able to gain some speed, reaching his arm out and instantly grabbing her.

"WAH!" The younger struggled to keep a hold of the bunny as she found herself being pulled back into an arm restraint. "Ah! S-Sasori no Danna!"

"Got you now!"

"NUUUU!"

"Now, Emi...we both know you are behind the bunnies. I just don't want you to be in denial about this. Anyways, something needs to be done about them. They cannot stay."

"Bu-but Danna... I swear I'm not behind this! I'm not in denial, I just somehow got involved when I saw the bunny! Really!"

"I...feel like that's practically the same thing. That's beside the point though. First off, there is no way Pein-sama would approve of the bunnies here. Second, we all know Hidan is going to try to sacrifice them to Jashin, and I don't think you want to subject them to that kind of defeat, now do you? Thirdly, TAKE A LOOK AT MY ARM! What do you see?" he shouted, holding up his left arm for the girl to see.

Emi flinched slightly at the sudden change of tone. "Um... Splinters...? Did you fall, Danna?"

"No, Emi, I...well, I splinter once every thirty days, actually..."

"Every thirty days...? You mean like..." Emi started to contemplate upon the whole situation of his splintering arm.

"No! Well, sort of...but that's beside the point! The problem isn't that I'm splintering, though. It's that I'm splintering five days early!"

The younger stared. Just. stared... Splintering... Once a month... And he's five days early...

"Pfft," she covered her mouth in attempt to hold back her laughter. "Isn't that something natural for a monthly cycle though? Bodies are subject to change..."

"Emi, we're not dealing with a female menstrual cycle. We're dealing with the fact that my body is made of wood and is splintering. A splintering pattern and a bleeding pattern are VERY different!"

She could barely hold it in. A few fits of giggles had started to make their escape. "But wood changes too! How else do trees grow and how else do they become your puppets?"

"Emi, this is completely beside the point. The point is your bunnies are causing my five-day-project to be five days early, and I just don't appreciate that. Something needs to be done about them now."

She paused, just gazing at her puppet master of a boyfriend. A huge grin crept to her face. "You know, I think you need some chocolate. It'll make you happy!"

"How so? I can't eat, remember? What ever would I do with chocolate?"

"Um... Rub it on your splinters? It'll give you a nice dark and handsome look."

Sasori felt his hand make contact with his forehead. 'She can't be serious...' he found himself pondering. "Emi! Bunnies! Now!"

"You like chocolate bunnies? I do too!"

"That is NOT what I mean! You need to come up with a plan for those things NOW or I swear I'm gonna assist Hidan in finding them all!"

"Ah..." her face flushed a slightly pale color. "You... you don't mean that... You really wouldn't hurt them...!"

"Oh, Emi...surely you must know that I am not above killing a small creature like that."

"Tha... That's cruel!" dramatic tears came to Emi's eyes as she held the struggling bunny closer to her. Before her mind could register, she felt a sharp pain on her finger, causing her to let go of the baby rabbit. "Ouch! Ah! Bunny!" she called out as she held her bitten finger. "Wait, come back!" She ran after it. "I HIGHLY DISLIKE YOU RIGHT NOW, DANNA!"

"EMI!" he called out, reaching a hand towards her, though missing. 'Goodness gracious! I was so close too...and did she really say 'highly dislike' to me...?' Sasori found himself shaking his head as he decided to follow after her.

It had been such a long, long, loooong day for our infamous Akatsuki leader, Pein-sama. Having had just reached the headquarters, he, somehow, could hear shouts and screaming from behind the thick walls. The orange-haired man stood there a moment. Sighed. Ran his fingers through his hair.

"Do I really have to come home now? Do I really have to walk through that door? I'm going to find something incredulously horrific. I know I am. I should just walk away now while I still have the cha..." Pale purple Rinnegan eyes blinked as he came to notice something in front of him. It was white and brown with big brown eyes. Just staring. Staring. Staring...

"...Crap," was all he could manage to say before he picked up the long-eared animal in his hand, using his free hand to open the door. "Five minutes. Meet in the family room," he told everyone, both speaking and using telepathy. "If you have a rabbit in your position... bring it."

Five minutes. Twelve members. Ten bunnies. Three bunnies missing. This is where the numbers stood. Each member sat in silence, looking at their leader as he paced back and fourth across the living room. Everyone knew he was completely enraged, but none would dare to say anything.

"Question one: Who started this?" he finally questioned, stopping to look at them. Without a moments hesitation, every hand pointed towards Emi, who quickly shied away, slumping into the couch.

"What makes you think it was me?" she quietly asked.

"Emi," Sasori started. "For one, you are in complete denial, and are not doing a good job of hiding it. Secondly, you are the one here who's favorite animal is the bunny."

"Oh, heh heh..."

"Question two: How many rabbits are there?" Pein-sama asked, leaving no more room for Emi to debate with Sasori.

All eyes looked to Emi, who slumped into the couch further. "Thirteen..."

"Question three: How many are still loose in _my_ hideout?"

"Looks like only three," Kakuzu answered, looking at the pile of boxes on the coffee table. Sure enough, ten little rabbits were seated comfortably in the boxes.

"Only three...? ONLY THREE? You mean to tell me three little fur-balls of destruction are running around _my_ hideout?"

Everyone cringed away from the leader. Kakuzu was the first to regain composure, responding simply: "Yes, sir..."

"Do we have any ideas as to where these last three are?"

"No, sir..."

"Then this is how it will go. Aina, Deidara, you two are charged with the task of making sure these rabbits don't escape. Emi, you will lead every one else in locating and capturing the other rabbits, since this is your fault. Sasori, offer her assistance when necessary. Now, go!"

"YES SIR!" the chorus of the Akatsuki shouted before dashing away to do what was asked of them. Aina and Deidara sat on the now empty couch, looking at the pile of boxes.

"This is the last day we're gonna be with Harry, isn't it?" Aina asked, reaching a hand to reach her small brown bunny.

"Well, this is the first day we had him, but yeah, he's gonna have to go. It's ok, it's for the better, un."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right."

"Emi, do you have any idea where those rabbits might be hiding?" Sasori asked, cocking a questionable eyebrow at her.

"Danna, why do you think I was _looking_ for them?" she retorted, already having given up on trying to keep a facade. The little medic nin knew she wouldn't win this "debate" (or whatever it was) anyways.

Hidan chuckled. "My Jashin! Is Emi actually getting an attitude? Frackin' awesome!"

"Shut up, Hidan," Sasori shot a glare at him with an eye, already starting to figuratively resemble a scorpion. "Or you and I will have to take another walk..."

"Eh heh," Hidan's eye seemed to twitched, remembering the last time the two went on a "walk" very well. "I'm good. Ah... Kakuzu, you look like you need help!"

"I never asked for it," he replied. "I don't need any."

"'Kuzu, you flippin' old fart!"

"Don't make me rip your head off," he growled in a snap.

"Hey, look! I found one!" Kisame shouted, holding a little brown bunny above his head.

"Yay!" Emi cheered, happy to be one step closer to being done with this torment.

"Whoa, where the flip did you come from?" Hidan shouted in a panic.

"Oh, me?" the blue man asked. "I've been here the whole time? Don't tell me you didn't notice me, I mean, it's not like I'm the tallest member of the Akatsuki standing at 6 foot 4...or that my skin is blue."

"No, dude, I had no fracking idea you were there..."

"Found another," Itachi voiced, holding a white rabbit up.

"Then all that's missing is Momma Bunny!" Emi chimed. Just one more...

Sasori looked down at her. "What color is its fur?"

"_Her_ fur is brown," she gave a small pout at him, putting quite the emphasis on the gender-term. "Light brown."

The scorpion sighed lightly at her pout. "Right..."

"Well, let's find it then," Kakuzu suggested. "If we could just get it to have more litters..."

"NO!" Sasori immediately snapped. "We are finding it, but we are NOT breeding it!"

"Who are you to tell me 'no'...?"

"Ah! Momma Bunny!" Emi exclaimed, seeing a fluffy tail not too far away from the group. Everyone turned their heads to see the bigger, brown rabbit at the end of the hall. All eyes met with dark brown ones. Immediately just about every member went dashing off to get the animal. "Ah, no! Wait! Don't!" Emi shouted after them, following the group. "You'll scare Momma Bunny!"

And indeed they did as the rabbit saw the members running at her. Frightened for her life, the small rabbit went dashing off in one direction of the hall, sprinting as fast as its legs would allow. Hidan was the closest to the animal.

"HA! GOT YOU NOW, SACRIFICE-FOR-JASHIN!" Hidan cackled maniacally as he reached out to grab the rabbit. But alas, she was too fast and turned a corridor, leading the Jashinist to crash right into the wall, head first. "ACK! THAT FLIPPIN' HURTS!" he yelled through the hole in the wall he had created, while the others just continued running after the bunny.

"Come here, little rabbit!" Kisame called out, being the next closest to the mother rabbit. He had quickly caught up with her, having long legs and all. It didn't take long before he had caught the momma bunny. "Heh heh, got'cha-GAH!" Kisame fell forwards, the other members crashing into him. The soft rabbit fur slipped through his fingers as he fell to the ground, leaving the rabbit free to run off once again.

"Kisame-san, how could you?" Tobi whined, watching the animal sprint.

"Hey! You all crashed into me!" Kisame attempted to get up, suddenly feeling him get short-stopped, followed by a crumbling sound and little bits and pieces of an object falling on his head. He looked up to see that the hilt of his Samehada had punctured a hole in the wall, also leaving a dragging rip through the plaster. "Crap! Samehada, I'm so sorry!" he pleaded forgiveness from the injured shark sword.

Breathing heavily, the little brown rabbit turned corridor after corridor, hoping to find a place to hide in the nearly empty hallways. Momma Bunny could hear all the foreign shouting and screaming behind her, and she hoped to get away from that.

Before she could completely, though, she stopped, trying to catch her breath. It wasn't long before she noticed a flash of black straight ahead of her. A man with black hair stood before her. She stood crouched, ready to dash off once again.

"Found you," Itachi mumbled as the mother already attempted its escape. Instantly, he looked her in the eyes with his Mangekyou Sharingan and watched as the small rabbit froze in place just as instantly.

The group had finally caught up, to see Itachi and... Pein-sama?

Pein picked up the rabbit, it being still frozen from the Mangekyou Sharingan. "Well, now that this problem is taken care of, I think we need to discuss what happened, and why this will _not_ be repeated again."

"So, now _everyone_ knows why it's a very, _very_ bad idea to bring an animal into the hide-out, right?" Pein-sama asked, directing the question to Emi.

Everyone nodded in agreement, Emi wanting to hide far away from the leader.

"Good. Now, to discuss the damage this has caused. The hideout is completely covered in brown and white fur, I have found traces of...bunny...that are not appropriate to leave, and two of the walls have been busted.

"Emi," the small ninja gasped as the leader mentioned her name. "You are responsible for this. I will _not_ listen to you attempt to convince me otherwise. For this, you will take care of the problems by yourself. You _will_ clean the entire hide-out so there are _no _traces of the bunnies; and you _will _be plastering the two holes in the walls. I would also like you to look into painting them so they don't look so obvious."

The violet-haired ninja let her head fall in defeat. "Yes, Pein-sama."

"No one assist her, she needs to learn her lesson."

No one said a thing as the leader walked out of the living room.

"Wow, I mean, I'm one for suffering, but that was flippin' harsh!" Hidan commented after a couple moments of silence.

"Yeah, sorry Emi," Aina started, getting up. "I'd help you if he hadn't said not to."

Slowly, the Akatsuki began to leave the living room, eventually leaving Emi and Sasori.

"Emi," he began.

"I know, Danna. You were right...and...I'm...I'm sorry."

"I actually wanted to apologise to you. After having a little time to think on it, I don't think I handled the situation as well as I should have. I think I could have approached you in a more...gentle fashion."

The young medic nin felt her cheeks flush. "I, um...I'm sorry about your arms, too."

"Don't worry about it," he quickly stated, wanting to avoid the topic. "Everything will work out fine."

"That's good," she said, giving him a slight smile. "Well, I'm going to see about finding the vacuum. I get the feeling I have a lot of work ahead of me, too."

"It's in the closet at the end of the hallway. Want me to bring it here for you?"

"But Danna! Pein-sama said to not help me!"

"What kind of boyfriend would I be just leaving you to clean an entire hideout? Anyways, what Pein-sama doesn't know won't hurt him," he began to walk out of the living room, giving her a wink before leaving.

"A-arigatou," she stammered, feeling her face heat up.

AN: Daw~ And everything is well with the universe! Well, for the most part, I suppose those walls still need to be plastered...and the hideout cleaned out...but at least they're at a good start for it! Let us know what you think, we love to hear from you!

Also, Aina wants to hear from you all too. She wasn't kidding when she asked for questions to be answered. If you guys send them in, she'll really respond. Maybe even Emi will join in on the fun next time...!

So no one worries, you needn't worry about mamma bunny in the Mangekyou Sharringan, either, she was kept safe.

"It's ok, Miss. Rabbit," Itachi started, handing her a small carrot. "You and all of your little children will be safe."

The small bunny looked to the strange-eyed man before hoping closer, begining to nibble at the carrot.

"See, everything is ok. You will all be brought back to the wild soon..."

See, she's fine! So, COMMENT, REVIEW, ASK QUESTIONS TO AINA, FAVORITE, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO (I dunno, get a pet bunny of your own?)

With loves!

~Nino and Sakura


	30. Bonus Chapter:Aina and Deidara's Mission

AN: So, who's silly idea was it to let me write a fan-fiction within a fan-fiction? At least Sakura proof-read it for me! So, do you guys remember last chapter how Aina and Deidara came home from their mission? Well, about that...

Bonus Chapter: Deidara and Aina's Mission!

By: Ninoandjaffar

"Well, this is my first mission in a while!" Aina chirped, zipping her cloak with a grin.

"It really has been a while since you've been out on one, hasn't it, un?" Deidara asked.

The green-haired medic nin swooshed her cloak back and forth, watching the black fabric sway with the movement. "Yeah, I think about two months."

Deidara found himself smiling at her. The way she practically danced in the cloak, it was almost...cute. Almost. Deidara would never be caught dead using the word 'cute' to describe his girlfriend. She was more...beautiful. Yes, beautiful was a better word. "You look...nice...un..."

Aina's grin grew as she let out a playful gasp. "Did Deidara just try to compliment me...and succeed? I'm so proud of you!"

"Don't expect too much out of me, un," he grumbled, catching his girlfriend as she glomped him.

"Well, I think I'm ready to go!"

"'Bout time. Sasori no Danna would be furious with how long you took, un."

"Hey, I didn't take _that_ long! Anyways, Emi takes longer to get ready for a normal day."

"This is true. Well, let's head off, un," the blond stated, heading for the door.

"Yosh!"

The mission was simple: Meet up with a small group of Ame-nin and obtain a scroll from them. That's all the two would have to do. Seemed silly to send two ninja for such a simple task. Heck, Aina could probably do it on her own! Ah well, both ninja thought on how nice it was to have some alone time together.

It was a companionable silence that fell between the two. It always seemed like someone (coughcoughTobicoughcough) was always with them. It was nice to have some time with just the other, no one else.

Deidara found himself thinking about Aina's hand, swaying back and forth at her side. 'Would she let me...hold it, un?' he found himself wondering. It looked so small compared to the massive cloak sleeve she wore. At the same time, though, it looked like it might fit nicely in his.

'Of course,' the blond muttered in his head. 'My palm mouths...'

Aina always did seem to be better about them than most people. If Deidara ever had to shake someone's hand, they would usually scream, jump back, or both. But Aina seemed completely unfazed by the anomaly that was his palm mouths. Although, the blond never really held her hand before...

His thinking was stopped when his fingers grazed against her own. 'Crap!' he inwardly yelped as he pulled his hand away.

Brown eyes blinked a couple times at the contact, before they looked the their owner's partner. The blond male's cheeks were tinted pink, and the young girl could guess this was from the contact. Aina couldn't help but grin.

"It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?" she asked, wanting to break the silence to prevent it from turning awkward.

"Um, yeah, it's a...very nice day today, un..." Deidara stumbled to say.

"I like that it's so warm today. The feeling of the sun rays on my cheeks...it's so warm, almost...inviting. Do you ever get that feeling?"

Deidara thought for a moment. He had never really thought about the sun's rays all that much. He closed his blue eyes, focusing on trying to feel what she felt. Then, it hit him.

It was hard to feel, but sure enough, it was there. That feeling of enveloping warmth against his cheeks.

"It's...calming, un..." he finally answered.

"It is, isn't it? When I was little, it was my favorite part of summer. I would always spend my days outside, letting the sun hit every part of me."

The blond didn't respond. He let his blue eyes drift closed, embracing the feeling of the sun. A part of him felt silly and pathetic for this, but he knew he could loosen up with Aina. There was just something about her...

Blue eyes blinked open as he looked to his hand. In it was a smaller hand, gently holding on. His eyes drifted up to see her face, she was looking at him with a smile on her face. It wasn't like her usual, toothy smiles. No, this one was smaller, but so much more stronger, too.

"You make for good company, Deidara. Remind me when summer comes back to lay out in the sun with you."

"That'd be nice...un..."

It was a good day's travel to the rendezvous point with the Ame-nin. The rest of the trip was spent with small chatter between the two. Talking of the sun, trees, grass, flowers, ninjutsu, Akatsuki...anything that came to mind.

'Why...why couldn't Pein-sama send me on a mission with her sooner, un?' the blond asked inwardly.

"Hey, look!" Aina pointed with her free hand. "I think that's the village!"

Sure enough, right before them was a small village. The entrance to the village had a large piece of wood over the top, serving as a sign with the name of the village on it.

"Iwamura wa ame...un...?"

"The raining rock village." Aina answered for him. "Hoping for peace with the other nations, the smaller villages in Amegakure are named after other nations in combination with our own name. Funny that you and I would end up here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, very funny indeed, un," the blond responded, deep in thought. Deciding to brush it off, he pulled out his wallet, checking on their funds.

Brown eyes glanced around, looking for a place for them to sleep that night. Once spotting a small motel, she began to walk in that direction, knowing her boyfriend would follow her.

"Um...Aina, un...?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you...tamper with our funds, un?"

The green-haired girl gave him a puzzled look. "No, what do you mean?"

"Well," he stated, holding his wallet up. "We're supposed to have $500 for this mission, right, un?"

"That's what Pein-sama said..."

"Well, there's only $250 in here, un."

"Huh?" Aina ran over to his side, looking at the currency for herself. "This...is not good."

"No, it's not." Deidara agreed. "Well, we have a couple options: one, we can share a room at the motel, or two, we can cut our food supply short, un."

"NO! Not the food supply!"

"I had a feeling you'd respond like that, un."

Aina grinned to him. "What, gotta problem sharing a room with me?"

The blond's face flushed a deep red. "N-no, of course not, un!"

"Good! Well, let's go see what they have."

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's the only type of room we have left," the old woman behind the counter explained, pushing some silver hair behind her ear.

Deidara ground his teeth, trying not to get mad. It wasn't her fault. "Let me talk to my companion, un."

Aina looked away from a flyer she was observing as the blond came to her. "Oh, boy...what's it look like?"

"One double," he stated. "They have rooms with one double bed, un."

The brown-eyed girl's face flushed a slight shade of pink. "Oh."

Deidara could tell his face was also colored slightly. "What are we gonna do, un?"

"Well," she began after a moment. Then, she smiled. "I guess we're fighting over who get's what side of the bed."

The room was small. Smaller than either would have liked. There was just enough room for the double bed and a small desk with a chair. The bathroom was just as tiny, not even having a full bath, just a small shower stall and a toilet.

"This is just fantastic, un..." Deidara grumbled, sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Oh, come on, Deidara," his girlfriend smiled to him. "Things could be worse." She then began to hit the light-switch to give the room some light. When she flicked it, however, nothing changed. She moved it back and forth for a moment before letting out a small "Uh-oh..."

"Oh, what could it be _now,_ un?" the blond grumbled, walking over to the switch. After flicking it a couple times himself, he let out a flustered sigh. "I'm gonna see about another room, un."

"Deidara, let's not bother them. It seemed like they were pretty busy with paperwork. Anyways, we'll be just fine. I'll go open the window and-"

"And what about when night falls, un? What then?"

"Then we'll go to bed. In the olden days that's how things worked. People awoke with the sun and went to bed with the moon."

He could feel his blue eye twitching at her words. "Aina, we're not in olden times anymore, un."

"Still, if they could manage it, so can we. Come on, it won't be that bad."

Deidara let out a sigh as he sat back on the bed. "Goodness, I wonder what's gonna happen next, un..."

9 PM. The sun was down. Deidara and Aina lay on the bed beside each other, the latter using her boyfriend as a pillow. Oddly, it was relaxing for them. It was a quiet night without shouting or yelling or running or Tobi...

Just a nice calm peace with only the moon to illuminate the small room.

'Why...why does this seem just a little too...romantic, un?' Deidara found himself pondering as Aina poked his chest through his shirt, trying to feel the mouth she knew was there.

"Does it feel funny?" she finally asked after a few minutes.

"Well, at first it did, but after six years with it, it just seems like it's...normal, un."

"That makes sense..." she continued to poke at it, gently running her hand across the bottom lip, or at least where it felt like it would be.

Then...a soft beat began to play. It was unfamiliar to the blond, but he could tell it was coming from the room next to them. 'Great, un...well, at least it's soothing...sorta...'

"'Cause I'm keeping you forever and for always," Aina quietly began to sing along, slightly startling Deidara. "We will be together all of our days. Wanna wake up in the morning to your sweet face. Always~"

Deidara gave a small smile. "So, you know this song, un?"

"Yeah, I haven't heard it in a while, though. I'm surprised I still remember the lyrics," she chuckled.

"Can't say I've ever heard it before, but it seems somehow fitting for today, un."

"Have you been getting that feeling that the universe is trying to talk to us, too?"

"Yeah, and it's concerning me, un."

Aina slightly furrowed her brows in confusion. "Really? How so?"

"You're not concerned about the fact that we are stuck in the same room, sharing a bed, listening to music about love...in the dark, un?"

After taking a second to think on it, Aina gave him a devious grin. "Too bad we're not married, huh?"

"Huh?" the blond managed to ask.

"Well, with _that _message from the universe, I'm not listening to it 'til I'm married."

Deidara let out a chuckle. "You know, we have pretty good morals for being a part of an organization made up of missing-nin criminals, un."

"Oh, darn! I guess we're doing a bad job of being the bad guys, instilling good morals, aren't we?" she sarcastically asked, trying to fight back the laughter.

"Man, the good guys are gonna have to work _really _hard to top our good morals, aren't they, un?"

"Ha ha, good luck to them!"

The next couple days went by fairly peaceful for the two ninja. Unfortunately, they were not given a specific day to meet the Ame-nin, just a place and a time. So, for three days, they went to the spot at 6:35 PM with no one showing up. On the fourth day...

"Ugh, I hope they show up today, un."

"As do I, it'd be nice to head home..."

"Etanaru Aina," a voice called out, causing both ninja to prepare for an attack. "Can't say I thought the Akatsuki representatives would include you."

"That voice," Aina began, watching as the figure came out from behind a tree. "Ken?"

"Huh?" Deidara gave a baffled look.

"Long time, no see, huh?" Ken grinned, walking up to her.

Without warning, Aina charged at him, gripping him in a tight hug. "Goodness, it's been too long! Where's Hiroto?"

"Ah, sorry you missed him. He headed back to the village to give the report. So, I'm here by myself."

"Aw~" the green-haired ninja pouted a little.

"Um, Aina..." Deidara started, grabbing both ninja's attentions. "Do you know him or something, un?"

"Oh! Of course! Ken, come here, I wanna introduce you to someone!" she shouted in excitement, pulling on his arm to bring the two men closer. "Ken, this is Deidara! He's my new partner in the Akatsuki! And Deidara, this is Ken. He, along with Hiroto, were my partners from Amegakure!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Deidara-san," Ken politely greeted, giving the blond a smile while holding his hand out to him.

The blond gave a sheepish smile while holding his hand up, showing the other the palm mouth. "It's nice to meet you, too, un."

"Whoa!" Ken jumped back slightly.

Aina burst out into laughter. "Aw, don't worry, Ken. This is just a part of who Deidara is."

"You think that's...normal?"

"Ken..." she pouted. "It's nothing to be worried about."

"Aina, it's fine. I'm used to it. I'm sorry if I worried you, un."

Ken took a second to clear his throat. "No, um, it's fine. I was...out of line, there. I should know there are all kinds of ninja with...special abilities."

"Yeah, it happens, un..."

"Anyways~" Aina chimed in, attempting to break the awkwardness. "It's very nice to see you again, Ken."

The Ame-nin looked to her, giving her a slight smile. "Yeah, it's always a great pleasure to see you again. And Deidara, it really is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, holding his hand out once again. "I'm only sorry we don't have longer to get to know each other."

The bomber was confused when Ken attempted to hold his hand out again. 'Why? Why is he not afraid of me, un?' After a brief moment of thinking, he decided to go for it, and extended his hand as well, giving the other male a firm hand-shake.

"Do come see Amegakure one of these days. I'm sure Hiroto would love to meet you as well."

"Yeah, of course, un."

"Well, I should be off now," Ken started, patting Aina on the head and handing her the scroll. "I'll see you later."

"Yup! Maybe we'll see you again soon!" she grinned to him before watching him depart.

"What is up with you Ame-people, un?" Deidara asked when he felt Ken wouldn't be able to hear him.

"What do you mean?"

"Just like you, he didn't seem terribly horrified by my hands. You were one of the first people to not scream and run the other direction...and he's not to far down on that list from you, un."

"Well, Amegakure doesn't have a lot of kekkei genkai, so we are taught to respect it when we see one."

"You rain people...un..." Deidara smiled, reaching out to hold Aina's hand. "Well, I think we can stay one more night at that motel, and head home in the morning, un."

Aina smiled to her boyfriend, glad he didn't seem to hate her old friend. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

"So, then my question is: what is the average speed of an unladen swallow?" Aina started, reaching a hand to the door knob, happy to be finally home.

"African, or European, un?" her blond companion, Deidara, asked in return. A brief moment of silence fell between the two before they bursted into laughter.

Aina allowed Deidara into the hideout before closing the door and resealing the protection jutsu. They continued to laugh about their conversation until they passed by the family room. The medic nin came to a halt, causing the explosion expert to stop a few feet ahead of her.

"Aina, un..." he seemed confused as he walked backwards to stand next to her.

"Bunny," she simply stated.

AN: TADA! So, not quite as long as our 'typical chapters,' but still pretty good in length. It ended up longer than I thought anyways...

Wow, to think I actually had it in me to write something fluffy! Usually Sakura writes those for us...Let me know how I did. Did you guys like the chapter? I hope so, it was kinda fun to write. :)

~Nino


	31. And a Merry Akatsuki Christmas to You

AN: Hey, look at that! We actually managed to get the Christmas special done in time! Though, we did finish it just a couple hours ago...ANYWAYS, I think you guys will enjoy the craziness that is Christmas with the Akatsuki!

Chapter 28: And a Merry Akatsuki Christmas to You

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house...every creature was stirring, except for the mouse. Because Hidan sacrificed it to Jashin...you know, it happens...

"Tobi!"

"Sempai!"

"Deidara!"

"Ugh," Sasori finally grumbled as he gave up on reading his book. Tobi had managed to take the angel away from Deidara for the top of the tree, and well, that's what lead to the particular predicament: Deidara chasing Tobi while being chased by Aina.

"Tobi just wants to play with the angel for a while!"

"No, it needs to go on the top of the tree, un!"

"Deidara, we'll get the angel later! We shouldn't run around with all the decorations out!"

Some days, the puppeteer wondered what he was even doing with the Akatsuki. An evil organization. Which is filled with five-year-olds. Who would run around because it's almost Christmas. Yeah, some evil organization...

He picked up his book as he stood up to leave. About to take his first step, his attention was taken by a small voice.

"Sasori no Danna, can you hand me a nail, please?" Emi quietly asked, pointing to a small pile of nails on the coffee table.

"Sure," he started, picking one up to hand to her. "Why do they have you pounding nails into the wall?"

"Well, I got done fixing the stockings, so I thought I would hang them. There are no nails, though, and everyone seems pretty busy, so away I went."

"Here, let me see that hammer," the puppeteer asked, reaching his hand out for it. The purple-haired medic smiled as he helped her. "You should have asked me to help you. I was just reading."

"I know, I just...you seemed pretty content there and I...I just..."

"Emi," he finished pounding the nail in, going to grab the next one. "I'm always happy to help you."

Suddenly, the front door burst open, showing Hidan holding a few bags. "Heyo~!" he shouted, setting the bags down behind a couch. He then went up behind Emi and Sasori, wrapping his arms around them. "Happy Jashinika!"

Emi let out a squeak as the arm rested on her shoulder. Sasori also found himself flinching at the undesired touch, loosing his grip on the hammer. It fell to the ground, landing on Hidan's toes.

"GAH!" the Jashinist shouted, jumping up and down holding his foot. "Holy freaking crap, did that hurt!"

Kakuzu let out a sigh as he and Kisame finished putting the top section of the tree up. "You really make me wonder sometimes, Hidan."

"Let's see how you like it when I drop a hammer on your foot, you old bag of bones! And you, puppet boy! Watch where you're dropping things! You're gonna hurt me again!"

"You know," Sasori started, reaching down to pick up the hammer, "a part of me is quite tickled by this."

"S-Sasori no Danna!" Emi gasped, both hands coming up to her mouth.

"Emi, I didn't intentionally hurt him. I just don't quite feel bad about it either."

"Hey, we got the tree up!" Kisame shouted with a grin. "We can hang the ornaments!"

The Akatsuki gathered around the tree, Deidara holding a box. Since Kakuzu was quite cheep, every member of the Akatsuki got one ornament. The hanging of ornaments became a little bit of a tradition when Aina and Emi joined.

After a couple minutes, twelve small bulbs hung on the tree, each with a different name on it. Every one stood for a moment, marveling the tree.

"You know, it's kinda cute with just a couple bulbs on it, but I feel like it needs more," Aina said in thought.

"Do we have lights for it, un?"

"We aren't doing lights."

"But, 'Kuzu..." Hidan pouted.

"No, we are _not_ doing lights. You'll find a way to electrocute yourself."

"I would not..."

"Let's see: what happened when we set up the sound system? Or when we were having the Halloween party?"

"Stop clouding the issue with facts!"

"Whatever," the miser grumbled, walking away. "We're not having lights."

"Do we have popcorn?" Emi asked, getting a couple raised eye-brows.

"What would we do with popcorn?" the Jashinist asked. "Popcorn doesn't light up."

"No, but people have made strings of popcorn to hang around their trees. It would be an alternative Kakuzu might let us do."

"People put food on their trees?"

"Have you never seen people put candy canes on trees before?" Aina puzzled.

"Oh, heh heh, right."

"So, now to find some popcorn!" the green-haired ninja shouted, heading off for the kitchen.

:::::

Aina quickly found the green box of popcorn and hurried to get it open. With a grin on her face, she grabbed the last five bags of popcorn, ripped the plastic bags open, and set one of the paper bags in the microwave, pressing the 'popcorn' button. With that, the green-haired kunoichi skipped her way out of the kitchen, leaving the popcorn to do its popping.

"Oh, already put the popcorn in?" Emi asked. "That was quick."

"All it takes is the press of a button!" she chimed, causing her friend to giggle.

"Very true. Would you like to help me find some string and needles?"

"Sure! Why not," Aina headed over with Emi to go find said items.

It didn't take too long for the two medic ninjas to find what supplies they needed. Needles and string. Not much to look for, but then again, it _did_ help that Hidan just happened to step on a missing needle.

On their way back, Emi smelled a peculiar scent waft through the air. "Hm?" she frowned in question. "Something smells like it's burning...?"

"Burning? Is Itachi roasting chestnuts over an open fire?" Aina asked in excitement.

"Is Jack Frost nipping at your nose, un?" Deidara asked as he confronted the two.

"No?"

"Well, then I guess not, un," he replied. "The burning you're smelling is coming from the kitchen." He pointed to the door behind him with his thumb, a slight frown on his face.

"What's going on in there? Someone cooking?"

"Nope, un."

"Ah!" Emi had suddenly hit an epiphany. "Aina!"

"What?"

"Did you press the 'popcorn' button?"

"Well... duh, what other button would I press?"

"Aina, it doesn't work!"

"Wait, what?" question covered her face. "What's the point of a 'popcorn' button if it doesn't work?"

"It just doesn't! It cooks popcorn for far longer than it should!" she explained heading to the kitchen hastily. When she opened the door, sure enough, the younger found smoke seeping out of the heating mechanism, popcorn no longer making popcorn sounds, but sizzling sounds. She rushed to the microwave and hit the open button with her thumb, causing the door to swing open.

Smoke gushed out if the appliance, making its way around the kitchen. Emi coughed, waving the burning scented smoke away from her face and carefully picked up the charred paper, heading over to the trash can. Before dropping it in though, a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Don't waste that," Kakuzu glared. "It's a waste of money."

"But it's burnt..." Emi reasoned.

"Money."

The lavender-haired girl sighed. There was never any other way to win a fight over money with Kakuzu, unless you were Pein-sama.

"Ok, we'll use it..."

"Good." He let go of the girl's wrist and headed on his way. "Hidan, you should open a window."

"Huh? Why me? Aina did it! And my freaking foot hurts..."

:::::

After all of those shenanigans finally calmed down, Aina, Emi, and Hidan worked on stringing the popcorn together, sitting on the floor as they did so. The floor was such a magical seat to sit on. Sasori and Deidara, on the other hand, sat on the couch doing their own thing (Deidara playing with some clay and Sasori reading "Puppeteering for the Almost Average Puppeteer, Vol. 16). Every now and then, they would check the threesome's progress on the "stringing of popcorn ritual," as Hidan liked to call it.

"OUCH!" the Jashinist's voice rang quite loudly as he yanked one of his hands away. "That fracking hurt!"

"Did you stick yourself, Hidan?" Aina looked over to the silver-haired man.

"Yes! Heal it right now!" he nearly whined.

"Pfft! What're you even whining about? That's nothing..."

"What are you freaking _talking_ about? It hurts! My finger just got punctured!"

"But don't you stab yourself all the time, Hidan?" Emi cocked an eyebrow.

"Emi," the priest started, "I stabbed my _finger_ with _no one_ to _torture_! I can't enjoy any pain without sharing it!"

Sasori sighed. "Hidan, you really are a pain in the neck."

"Hey, I'M usually the one with a freaking pain in the neck, Puppet Boy!" he growled. "Remember?"

The puppet master shrugged. "You keep asking for it."

"Why you...!"

"Ok! Ok! Hidan!" Emi interrupted before the two could get into yet another blood bath. "I'll get a band aid for you. Will that do?"

"...I suppose so..."

"Ok. I'll go get one, so just please calm down..." she stated, getting up to make her way to the medical supply cabinet.

:::::

"That looks better!" Aina chimed, looking at the tree, now decorated with both the twelve ornaments and the popcorn string.

"That does look nice," Emi agreed.

Hidan gave a smirk. "That would be my doing, ladies."

"I'm really liking the black to white pattern," Kisame walked in with Itachi. "What'd ya do to your popcorn?"

Emi and Hidan replied in unison: "Aina burned it."

"Hey! It didn't turn out that bad. I mean, look at it! Kisame's right, it looks very nice like that!"

As the small group continued to bicker about Aina's burnt popcorn, the other members of the Akatsuki filtered in.

"I'm amazed you're all still up," Leader-sama started, entering the room last. "I would have thought you to all have headed to bed early with Christmas tomorrow."

"Meh, presents would come either way, just means you and Konan have to stay up later," Hidan reasoned.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Pein grumbled.

"Well, maybe we should get you all off to bed, then," Konan stated.

"We're not little kids, un!" Deidara whined in protest.

"Who are you to talk, brat? You're the third youngest here," the puppeteer interjected. "Although, I must admit, giving some of us a bed-time seems pretty far-fetched."

"How about this," Aina began. "We'll do a little group singing, then we'll all head to bed for the night so Pein-sama and Konan don't have to stay up all night."

The purple-haired medic nin looked at the other with slight confusion. "What would we sing?"

"Why, we'll sing The Twelve Days of Christmas, silly! I can play it on the keyboard."

"Since when could you play keyboard, un?"

"I took piano classes back in Amegakure."

"I should have known, un..."

"I know how to play piano too," Emi smiled. "Maybe we could both play."

"That'd be fun!" the green-haired girl grinned.

"Since when could _you_ play piano, un?"

"I learned on the internet..."

"Well, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" the green-haired medic nin grinned, raising a fist in the air.

"Sure."

The two medic ninja went to get the keyboard out of the recording room. The other Akatsuki members began deciding who was going to take what number in the song. As the two girls entered, Hidan ran up to them.

"Hey, Aina, you're number seven, and Emi's eight!"

"Ok!" both girls smiled as they got the keyboard set up. Once ready, they began to play, Pein-sama taking the first verse.

"On the first day of Christmas, Pein-sama gave to me...a bunch of body piercings."

Itachi joined the leader in the second verse. "On the second day of Christmas, Itachi gave to me...two sharingan and a bunch of body piercings."

Third to join was Hidan. "On the third day of Christmas, Hidan gave to me...three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings."

Deidara grinned when his time to join came. "On the fourth day of Christmas, Deidara gave to me...four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings." In the meantime, Aina and Emi had a look on their face that questioned the sanity of the Akatsuki. But then again... They should have seen it coming.

"On the fifth day of Christmas, Kakuzu gave to me... five creepy hearts... four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings..."

"On the sixth day of Christmas, Kisame gave to me!" the blue shark man sang in a low bass voice. "Six swimming sharks, FI~IIVE CREEPY HEA~ARTS! Four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings!"

Aina grinned, being the next to sing. "On the seventh day of Christmas, Aina gave to me! Seven shiny kunai, six swimming sharks, FI~IIVE CREEPY HEA~ARTS! Four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings!"

"On the eighth day of Christmas, Emi gave to me," Emi sang in a soft soprano, "eight pretty paintings, seven shiny kunai, six swimming sharks, fi~iive creepy hea~arts, four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings."

"On the ninth day of Christmas, Konan gave to me: Nine paper flowers, eight pretty paintings, seven shiny kunai, six swimming sharks, five creepy hearts, four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings."

Next was Sasori. He wasn't too thrilled about singing, but for Emi... "On the tenth day of Christmas, Sasori gave to me: Ten chakra strings, nine paper flowers, eight pretty paintings, seven shiny kunai, six swimming sharks, five creepy hearts, four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings."

"On the eleventh day of Christmas, Tobi gave to me! Eleven yummy dum-dums, ten chakra strings, nine paper flowers, eight pretty paintings, seven shiny kunai, six swimming sharks, FIII~IIIIVE CREE~PY~ HEA~AAARTS~! Four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings!"

The two girls continued playing on to the twelfth verse, but then realized no one was singing. They stopped and looked over.

"Wait, who sings the twelfth verse?" Aina questioned.

"Someone has to sing the twelfth verse, or it won't be the Twelve Days of Christmas..." Emi added.

"Huh..." Deidara stroked his chin, as if he had a goatee. "We're missing someone..."

"Um... I'm right here," a voice sounded from behind everyone.

"KYAAH!" The two girls jumped in surprise as Zetsu had phased through the wall behind them. "THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE!"

"What?"

"We haven't even done the ghost of Christmas Past or Present though!" Aina complained, only to realize it was Zetsu. "Oh... Eh heh... You're not the Ghost of Christmas Future...!"

"I never knew I was..." White Zetsu said, perplexed.

"You're not," Black Zetsu replied. "You're just a carnivorous plant..."

"Oh, right..."

"Anyways," the medic nin interrupted, "Zetsu, looks like you're day number twelve! Care to sing for us?"

"Sure?"

The two girls started playing again, picking up on a few measures before the final verse started. Zetsu sang in a baritone voice.

"On the twelfth day of Christmas, Zetsu gave to me," he sang, joined in by the rest of the Akatsuki, like they had done for the other chorus parts, "twelve carcasses, eleven yummy dum-dums, ten chakra strings, nine paper flowers, eight pretty paintings, seven shiny kunai, six swimming sharks, FIIII~IIIIIVE CREEEE~PYYY~ HEAAAA~AAAAAARTS! Four licking tongues, three pointy pikes, two sharingan, and a bunch of body piercings!"

The two girls played some ending chords to bring the song to an end. Everyone was smiling (except for maybe Kakuzu...he wasn't really thrilled about this whole singing thing to begin with...) and applauded when the final chord was hit.

"That was fun!" Aina grinned, standing up from the keyboard.

"Indeed! I love this part of Christmas!" Kisame agreed.

Itachi let out a small yawn. "Well, I'm ready for bed. 'Night everyone."

"Goodnight, Itachi," came the chorus of Akatsuki as the raven-haired ninja left.

"I'm heading to bed too."

"Goodnight, Kakuzu," the chorus spoke again.

"I think the rest of you should be on your way too," Konan hinted as she headed for the door.

A murmur of grumbles came from the rest of the Akatsuki as they filtered out, heading to their respective rooms.

"'Night, Deidara," Aina grinned, leaning out of her bedroom door.

The blond smiled back. "'Night, Aina. See you in the morning, un."

A little further down the hallway, Sasori and Emi were outside the younger's door. "Sleep well, Emi."

"You too, Sasori no Danna."

:::::

The next morning...

:::::

"IT'S CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Tobi shouted out loud as he ran down the halls to get to the family room. Every member woke up from the screaming of the orange masked ninja. "EVERYONE WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

"TOBI!" the blond bomber yelled.

"SHUT YER PIE-HOLE, YOU FREAKING 'TARD!" Hidan shouted, still quite half asleep.

"But Hidan-san! Sempai! It's Christmas! Presents!"

"...Wait, did you just say presents?" the Jashinist suddenly beamed. "I _love_ fracking presents!"

"You love fracking presents?" Deidara asked, distracted from his sleepy anger. "Dude, I had no idea you swung that way, un."

Laughing, the now fully awake green-haired kunoichi nearly ran over to give her boyfriend a high-five.

Though, Hidan just grinned. "Deidara, you don't understand. _I'm_ Hidan! _I_ can swing _any_ way I fracking _want_ to!"

Cricket... Cricket... Cricket...

"_AAAAaan_ywaaays..." the bomber continued, "we're already up.. Might as well go open our presents, un."

"YAY!" Tobi cheered.

"PRESENTS!" Aina shouted with him and ran to the family room, waking the rest of the members up. They all meandered their way to the room as the childish members of the Akatsuki poked at different presents, seeing whose was whose.

"Oh! I get to be Santa!" the elder medic chorused as she motioned for everyone to sit down. As they did so, she started passing out each of their presents respectively. "Alright everyone, this one's from Pein-sama and Konan to all of us, so we'll all open them at the same time, ok?" she grinned.

When each member nodded, she chuckled. "Alright! Ready! Set! Open!"

Every member opened their gift, each revealing brand new Akatsuki cloaks.

"Oh!" Emi gasped with delight.

"New cloaks, un!"

"AND THEY'RE NOT FREAKING KNITTED THIS TIME!" Hidan beamed brightly, remembering how last year's cloaks were all knitted by Kakuzu... with rough, itchy yarn...

Kakuzu growled. "Shut up, you imbecile..."

"IMBECILEN!"

"Next is a present for Hidan!" Aina announced, handing the silver-haired imbecilen his present.

"Ooh~! I like presents!" he grinned.

"You mean you like _fracking_ presents, un," Deidara grinned.

"Shut the heck up!"

"Do you want to open your present, Hidan?" Emi asked.

"Oh yeah!" Hidan's purple-pink eyes lit up again as he commenced to open his present. "Wha... What the freaking heck?"

Cheerios. A box... of Cheerios...

"Who in this fracking world gave me a freaking box of danged Cheerios?"

"I did," Kakuzu couldn't help but grin behind his mask.

"You sick bag of bones!"

"What? Blood and milk make a fantastic shade of red. I just wanted to see the color again..."

"KAKUZU!"

"If you guys could wait until later to kill each other, like, after presents, that would be wonderful," Aina requested, holding the next present in her hand. "This looks like it's for you, Kakuzu."

"Hm," the miser let out a grumble as he took the gift, carefully opening it. Once the box was open, he paused a minute before pulling the contents out. "Really, Hidan?"

"Yeah, really. You like?"

"I...don't really know what to say..."

In his hands were a voodoo doll (complete with pins!) and a heart. A real heart, still drenched in blood, in a plastic bag.

"Gah!" Emi gasped, hiding her face in Sasori's chest. "That's..."

"Yeah, I think we all feel the same, Emi," Sasori managed, not wanting to look at the 'gifts,' but not really being able to look away either.

"Wow, un..."

"So, um...yeah!" Aina attempted to break the awkwardness that was ensuing. "Let's get to the next present, shall we? How about Deidara? It's from me!"

"Um, sure, un," said ninja spoke, grinning as he accepted the small box. He was careful in unwrapping it, then pulled out a little card. "One free dinner, courtesy of Etenaru Aina, un."

"Yup! So, at the time of your choosing, I will make you whatever dinner you want. You just have to give me a little warning so I can have everything I need to make it," the medic nin grinned, taking pride in her crayon and note-card 'coupon.'

"Dude, that's actually really cool," Kisame mused, a smile on his face. "That's just as good as free food!"

"This is really awesome. Arigatou, Aina, un."

"Douitashimashite! Well, I think we'll just keep going and Sasori can open his next!" she exclaimed, handing him his present.

"It's, um...it's from me," Emi spoke up, a quiet voice from his left.

The red-head couldn't help but smile as he ripped the wrapping paper from it. In his hands was a picture of him and Emi, a mass of water as the background. "Wow..."

He turned it around so the rest of the Akatsuki could marvel the painting. Various comments of approval wove their way through the group as Emi turned a deep shade of red.

"It's very nice. Arigatou..."

Emi attempted to say 'you're welcome,' but her voice was muffled from the blanket she had managed to wrap around herself and hide her face into.

"D'aw~ well, let's open another one! Itachi, here you go!" Aina gave him the gift, wrapped in a blue wrapping paper.

The raven-haired man took the box, unwrapping it quickly. Only a moment later, in his hand was a pair of sunglasses.

"Figured you'd need a new pair," Kisame reasoned.

"Thanks," Itachi murmured. He never was one for displaying of emotion, but most everyone knew this was about as grateful as he would ever sound.

Aina couldn't help but giggle slightly as she grabbed another present, took a glance at it, and handed it to her kohai. "Next is Emi!"

"Ah, thank you," Emi smiled softly. It was wrapped in plain brown paper. Nothing fancy with the exception of a sleek red ribbon. Somehow, she figured it was from her beloved Sasori no Danna. Once she ripped open the paper, what she found in her lap were blocks. Each one beared a bold, white letter. L-O-V-E. Shades of red flushed over her cheeks as she fingered each pink block. "Um... Arigatou... Danna..." she said shyly, a meek smile on her face.

The puppeteer smiled back. "Douitashimashite."

"Ok, say it's Aina's turn, un!"

"But _I'm_ Santa!" she laughed.

"You need to open a present, un!"

"Ok, ok!" she grabbed a present addressed to her and started to open it. It was a small box, and very slender, but it said it was from her beloved ex-terrorist bomber. "Gee, I wonder who this one's from," she laughed.

Deidara just grinned. "Open it, un!"

Doing so, she tore the wrapping paper apart and opened the slender box. Inside was a necklace with a small clay bird hanging from the cord. The medic gasped in surprise. "Oh my gosh, Deidara, this is so pretty!"

"Heh heh, I thought you'd like it, un."

"Uh... that thing's not gonna blow up on us, is it?" Kisame asked.

"Sempai is Sempai! Of course it would!" Tobi chimed.

"TOBI! IT DOES NOT, UN!"

"Well, that's good to know," Aina laughed as she put the necklace on. "Either way, I still like it!"

"That's very good to know, un. Much better than what _they_ apparently have to know."

"Hey," a couple voices chimed.

"Well, how about we give a present to Tobi!" Aina changed topic as she handed said ninja a present with his name on it.

"Ah! Tobi got a present! Tobi is a good boy!" the orange-masked ninja chirped as he opened the present. "Oh~ and it's from Sempai~"

The ninja held the bad above his head in excitement. "Dum-dums! Oh, Sempai, you're the best!"

"I know, un," the blond smirked.

"Nice~" Hidan grinned, holding his hand out for a high-five with the blond.

"We all know he's one, un."

"Alright!" the green-haired ninja sang, not noticing the conversation her boyfriend was engaged in. "Let's see who the next gift is for!"

:::::

At the end of presents, everyone walked away with a good pile of stuff. Most impressive was Hidan's: A new Akatsuki cloak, 10 boxes of Cheerios, and 1 box of Captain Crunch (Courtesy of Emi...she did get the memo, she just decided to 'change things up a little').

Everyone branched off to do their own things, now that the presents had been opened. Emi and Aina settled themselves in the living room with a couple mugs of hot chocolate.

"Yum~" Aina grinned, taking a sip.

"Mhm~" the purple-haired girl agreed.

"This is so nice. I love Christmas."

"It is one of my favorite times of the year."

"Figured I'd find you here," a new voice entered. Both girls looked to the door to see both Deidara and Sasori.

"Hello, Sasori no Danna."

Aina began to laugh to herself, eventually going into a full-blown laughing fit. The other three looked at her with perplexed faces.

"What's so funny, un?" her blond boyfriend asked.

"You two need to look up!"

Her simple response caused the two men to look up. Taped to the top of the door frame was a small green plant. Blue and brown eyes blinked a couple times before looking to each other, faces flushing deep shades of red.

"W-when did that get there?" Emi questioned, slight worry in her voice.

"Tobi and I put it there this morning," the green-haired girl smiled triumphantly. "So...I'm sure you two know what this means, right?"

"You have got to be kidding me..." Sasori mumbled, switching from looking to Aina and Deidara a few times, trying to think it through.

"It is a mistletoe, un..." Deidara stated, seeming just as concerned as the other male.

"Come on, guys!" Aina shouted. "Don't just stand there all day!"

"You're ok with this (un)?" both men shouted back to her.

"Hey, you can't blame a girl for being curious..."

"WHAT, UN?" the blond's face turned a deeper shade of red than Sasori's hair. "YOU MEAN YOU DON'T MIND IF WE KISS, UN?"

"Tee hee! Well, I suppose I should just lay this out now, but I really wondered about the two of you when I first joined..."

No one could really think what to say. Aina...thought that Sasori and Deidara...

"You've lost your mind," the red-head finally spoke.

"I never lost my mind, and hey, at least I learned the truth."

"Well, since we're laying everything out on the table," Deidara began, earning him a couple confused looks. "I won't deny that I've wondered what you and Emi would be like, too, un."

Emi and Sasori's eyes grew wide, looking back and forth between Deidara and Aina. The blond had a sheepish grin on his face.

The green-haired girl felt her lips twist up into a devious smirk. "Dang...that is pretty epic."

"That doesn't creep you out, un?"

"Pfft! No, it's completely common for guys to fantasize things like that."

"Huh?" the red-head and purple-haired ninjas practically gasped in unison.

Deidara smirked as Aina walked towards him. "You are something else, un..."

"As are you," she simply responded, heading out of the living room, being followed by Deidara.

Sasori and Emi watched the two leave. After a moment, they found their eyes slowly drifting to each other. Both were flushed a deep red, eyes wide in both fear and confusion.

Deidara and Aina walked down the hall a moment before they both burst into laughter.

"Oh, my goodness, that went even better than I thought!" Aina managed between laughs.

"Their faces were so priceless! I wish we had had a camera, un!" Deidara agreed.

"The two dollars for that mistletoe was totally worth it!"

"Yes, yes it was, un!"

:::::

AN: Oh my...Deidara and Aina, what ever are we gonna do with you two? I almost feel like their shenanigans get worse and worse each time...but that's what we love about them, right? So, what did you all think of the presents everyone received? And now for 'Nino's end of chapter question': If you could give any Akatsuki member a present, who would they be, and what would you give them? Sakura and I are excited to find out you're guys' responses! And do respond, even if you are new to the story or one of our old friends, we want to hear from everyone!

Well, Sakura and I wish you all a very happy holiday season (we love everyone, no matter what holiday you celebrate this time of year!), and may you all have a wonderful New Years as well!

~Sakura and Nino


	32. Somedays I Wonder

AN: YAY! And with some sort of reasonable time, we got the next chapter done. Probably could have gotten it sooner, but someone's brother got her LoZ: Skyward Sword for Christmas...guess who is a happy girl? Yup, that's right, I AM! ANYWAYS! We finished this chapter, which we hope you guys all find...interesting! So, here you go!

Chapter 29: Some Days, I Wonder...

**Aina X Sasori**

Brown eyes scanned the field as a hand went to adjust her forehead protector. One of her; four of the enemy; two innocent bystanders. 'I can do this.'

Quickly pulling a kunai from the holster on her thigh, Aina prepared to charge the enemy, becoming a blur of green. Her kunai clashed with an enemies own before she quickly pulled out another one to eliminate him, quickly decapitating him. A second enemy charged at her, seeing his comrade fall to the ground. The young ninja also made quick work of this enemy. Then, she looked back to check on the innocent bystanders.

The last two enemies had captured them, holding kunai to their throats. Aina's brown eyes widened at the sight, attempting to find a way for them to walk out alive. After a moment's pause, she quickly threw the kunai, hitting both enemies in the forehead. The two bodies collapsed to the ground, no longer threatening the bystanders.

"There, gotcha!" the green-haired girl cheered.

"Really? You seem to speak just a little too soon," another voice chimed, before a cloaked figure jumped behind her bystanders, quickly decapitating them.

The medic nin let out a gasp, seeing her mission fail right before her eyes. "How...how DARE you kill them! They were innocent!"

"Hmph. Do I look like someone to care for such a thing?" the cloaked figure asked, taking a couple steps closer to her. "They are just more people to plague this Earth."

"You're a monster..." a low growl escaped her.

"I do hope you aren't just figuring this out."

"Oh, no...I've known for a while, AKASUNA NO SASORI!"

With a new kunai already in hand, she ran towards her enemy, him returning the gesture. The two met in the middle of the field, clashing metal against metal; kunai against katana.

"Resistance if futile," Sasori stated while they stood in their stalemate.

"Really? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna win," the medic nin gave him a sly smirk.

His lips curled up in response. "How so?"

Without missing a beat, the medic nin leaned in, gently pressing her lips against the point of his nose.

Muddy brown eyes blinked at the contact, still trying to discern what had just taken place. Then the sound of metal and wood resonated in his ears. Looking down, the red-head saw a kunai sticking out of his chest, only an inch away from his heart container.

"I win."

"That's gonna take me a week to fix."

"Naw, only a couple hours. I mean, all you have to do is put some wood putty in there, sand it down, and boom! You're all set!"

The two ninja stepped away from each other and began scanning the field. The grassy plain was littered with wood from the puppets destroyed.

"Well, you managed to not die this time, however, you didn't save the civilians."

"What was I supposed to do?" Aina shouted, flailing her arms. "When you materialize out of no where and decapitate them like that what's there left to do?"

"Aina, it's ok," Sasori attempted to calm her down. "This is why we are training, so when enemies 'materialize out of no where' you know what to do."

"How often do enemies do that?"

"Not too often, but-"

"Then why are you doing it here? I should be practicing for situations that are gonna happen!"

"Aina, this is a possible outcome of battle. It may not be likely, but a good ninja will train for all possibilities."

The green-haired girl pouted at the words, folding her arms in front of herself. Sasori fought back the urge to laugh at her.

"You know, if you keep pouting like that, a little bird's gonna land on it."

"Oh, shuddup."

As Aina headed back for the base, Sasori followed. He decided he should probably get her in a good mood before picking up the battle-field they had created.

**Emi X Itachi**

Snow was gently falling, falling, falling outside from the window in which Emi sat at. Absentmindedly, the young medic nin blew at her cup of hot cocoa softly before taking a careful sip. She watched the small flakes glide through the air and gently land on the thin bed of snow, disappearing into the whiteness of the blanket.

All the while, her mind drifted back to her home village: Konohagakure. With each passing moment of each memory running through her head, every thought of how her team or Naruto was doing and if they were well, every wondering question of what her family was up to, she found herself oddly starting to miss Konoha. It had been a long while since she had thought about her home; and if anyone even missed her.

The young medic nin didn't notice she was no longer alone, so deep in thoughts. The raven-haired man had set a book down on an end-table, catching her attention.

"Itachi-san," she gasped, turning around to see him better.

"Emi-chan, how are you doing?" he asked her in return.

"Oh, I suppose I'm doing well."

"What are you thinking about? You seem deep in thought."

"Ah! I was...I was just thinking about...back in Konoha..."

"You miss it there, don't you?" Itachi continued to ask, sitting down next to the purple-haired girl.

"N-No, I really like it here!" she quickly protested, not wanting anyone to know her longing to return home.

"You know, Emi-chan, you don't make for a good liar..."

The girl's face turned a deep red as she turned to look back out the window, watching the snow continue to fall. "But I don't miss it there..." she grumbled under her breath.

"You know, even I miss it there sometimes."

Her purple-blue eyes blinked a couple times as she looked back at him. "Really, you do?"

"I oftentimes find myself wondering about Sasuke, and it makes me miss being in Konoha, where I could look after him."

"Really? You miss your brother a lot then..."

"I do. But I'm also worried about him..."

A long pause came between the two. Emi had the urge to ask why the worry, but also started getting the vibe that she shouldn't press any further. Then and there, she decided to change the topic.

"Would you like to drink some hot cocoa?"

"Hm?" his comma-decored crimson eyes drifted over to meet Emi's purple-blue. After a momentary staring contest, he let his lips curl slightly. "I suppose that would be nice right about now."

The younger smiled back and started to get up. "Alright, just wait right here, and I'll get so-"

Suddenly, her wrist was caught and pulled upward. She looked up to see that Itachi had seized her hot cocoa-occupied hand and was taking a sip from her own mug. All little Emi could do was stand and stare. Frozen.

The young man glanced over at her and smiled. "Mm... It's delicious."

Emi's face continued to turn darker as the sharingan wielder continued to look at her, a soft, hardly noticeable, smile on his face. "I-ah, I'm...glad...you like...it..."

Itachi leaned closer to her, extending a hand. Gently, two fingers poked at her forehead before he stood up, grabbing his book as he exited. "Arigatou, Emi-chan."

"D-douitashimashite...?" she replied as her heart skipped a beat. For a minute, she thought he was going to kiss her...

...Or _was _he?

**Aina X Kisame**

"Hey, we're here!" Aina chirped as she and Kisame arrived. She took a moment to take in the sight: a long beach that extended as far as the eye could see with blue water crashing against the sand in wave after wave. The green-haired girl could feel her lips curve into a grin as she descended towards the water. "Time for a swim!"

"Hey! I've got a better idea!" Kisame grinned, following after her. In each of his arms were two surf boards. One blue, the other yellow. Aina could only give the blue shark-man a perplexed face.

"What are those?"

"These," he looked down at the long boards and motioned to each one of them slightly, "are surf boards!"

"Oooooooo~" Her brown eyes seemed to sparkle. "I've only seen those on TV! So cool!"

"Yeah? Well, now you get to try it!"

"But I don't know how to surf..."

"That's why I'll be teaching you! I _am_ a pretty good sensei, you know, in the ways of marine life and water... and swords... and fighting, and-"

The medic laughed. "I get it, I get it! Teach me how to surf!"

"Ok, ok," he grinned, placing their boards in the water. "So, when you surf, you get on the board and sit on it, like this..."

After some time, the young medic nin felt like she understood what she needed to do, and the two headed out to the water. Once out a little ways, she found she was a little further from Kisame than she thought. 'No big deal, I'm sure I'll do just fine!'

Just as she finished her thought, a big wave headed for the two. The shark man gave her a knowing grin, telling her this was _the_ wave. Nodding her head, she prepared herself, and slowly stood up as the wave came.

"WHOO~" she cheered as the wave brought her closer to shore. Looking over, Kisame was also riding the wave, though he looked like he was working harder to stay on it. Seconds later, the shark man crashed into the water, leaving the green-haired girl to ride the wave solo. She soon crashed as well, and slowly made her way to the shore, paddling from on top of her board.

"Nicely done, Aina," Kisame grinned to her, having finally reached her.

"That...was AWESOME!" she beamed back to him. "I wanna ride some more waves!"

"Alright! Let's go look for another good wave!"

A couple hours later, and the two found themselves spent. So many waves had come for them, and now they were just about ready to head back.

"So, off we go?" Aina asked, a little pout on her face.

"Hm, not quite," Kisame answered, grabbing her wrist gently. "The sun's about to set."

"The sunset?" she let her eyes wander to the direction where his trailed off.

There the sun was, slowly making it's way towards the horizon. The earth's blue-green waters as its blanket as the blue of the sky turned into hues of soft reds, deep pinks, oranges, yellows and golds, purples... In a sense, the sky looked like a completely different, yet unique rainbow all on its own, blanketing the world instead of being the width and length of a gigantic ribbon. Indeed, did the sunset paint a beautiful picture, and Aina was suddenly happy that Kisame had interrupted her ever fast-moving pace. All the while, the two stood there, watching.

And neither realized their fingers were entwined with the other's.

**Emi X Deidara**

The scent of cold pork wafted through the air as Emi prepared the meat for frying in a frying pan. Humming a small song to herself, she grabbed a bottle of oil and prepared the kitchen appliance over the gas stove, pouring some of the oil in and turning the burner on. Getting all preparations prepared within a matter of minutes, the pan was ready to be used and the panko-covered pork was carefully placed on top of the boiling oil. With an anticipating smile, cleaning up her mess near the stove, the medic nin looked at her pork-katsu-to-be proudly. This was going to be something everyone, especially a certain someone, would like, she knew for sure!

"THAT STUPID BRAT!" a familiar priest's voice shouted, causing the girl to nearly jump out of her skin. "HE NEEDS TO STOP SAYING 'BELIEVE IT!' I'm getting so frackin' irritated with that!"

"And you don't think I'm not already irritated ten-fold?" Kakuzu raised a black eyebrow as Emi entered the room to investigate.

"What's going on?" she asked absolutely baffled and confused.

Hidan looked back at her, frowning. "'Kuzu's being a meaner and this is such a stupid show!"

"Why do you watch it then...?" she asked, not bothering to even acknowledge the comment about the very creepy and strictly cheap Kakuzu.

"Because it's entertaining to see this brat..." he mumbled back hesitantly, wanting to deny that fact.

"Alright," she replied slowly. "Well, I'm going then..."

The two nodded slightly whilst she, turning on heel, headed back to the kitchen.

"Hm? What's that smell?" she wondered as she smelt a very strong scent. "Smells like something's..." Her eye suddenly caught the pork katsu and gasped. She had somehow left paper towels next to the burner and they caught fire! "Fi-Fire!"

'What do I do, what do I do?' Immediately she ran to the cupboards and grabbed a cup, remembering one of the best ways to put out a fire. 'WATER! Fire goes out with water! Water is good!'

Having filled the cup with water, she briskly, yet carefully as possible hurried towards the stove, and, without another thought, threw the water over the paper towels, and some into the pan. Without a moments notice, broiling oil started to spew from the pan and caused the fire to become bigger.

"WH-WHA?" her eyes went wide when she realized her mistake: she didn't use baking soda.

Walking past, Deidara was minding his own business until something with warm colors caught his cool-colored eye. Glancing over to get a better view of the pretty colors, he soon discovered that what he saw was a fire.

A fire...

"Wha- a fire, un?" he said, quite taken aback and headed right in. "Who in their right mind would start a.. Emi? I should have known, un."

"D-Deidara-san!" the purple-haired girl exclaimed. It looked like she had been making a mess from searching through the cupboards near the fire taking place. Some flour had somehow fallen and caused the pale girl to look ghostly. "I can't find the baking soda!"

"Geez! Get over here!" he shouted as he pulled the younger away from the cupboards and, amazingly, found the baking soda in the back of the top shelf. Grabbing it, he tore the box open and started causing the powder to spew all over the fire. Within seconds, the growing fire had gone out. The blond sighed a sigh of relief. Talk about excitement in your own home!

"Are you ok, un?" he turned to her and knelt down at her level to see if she was hurt or not.

"Um..." she started, white-powdered cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and purple-blue eyes filled with worry, "I-I am..."

"My gosh, and I thought_ I _was the arsonist here, un!" he frowned with a slight irritation, and yet oddly, some humor. "How did you get a fire to start anyway? I mean, seriously, un."

"I-I'm sorry..." she squeaked. The blond could see tears well up in the corners of the girl's eyes. Emi guiltily looked up at the bomber, the purple and blue in her eyes glossy. "I-I didn't mean to..."

"Hey, hey, come on now," Deidara started with alarm, seeing the tears become heavier, "it wasn't that bad, un! It happens, right? Right? Emi, please don't cry, un..."

"G-gomen nasai..."

The ex-terrorist stared at the sniffling younger for a moment and just sighed. "Come here. Let's get that flour off you, un."

He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, leading her to the sink as she wiped her eyes with her free hand. He found a dishcloth and, after getting it wet, started wiping the white powder from her face. "Move your hand, un," he gently ordered, making sure he was getting every inch of flour. "You know... you shouldn't feel so bad about starting a fire, un. Knowing you, it was an accident, right? Don't let it bother you."

"But..." Emi sniffled, "Deidara-san, you..."

"Sorry if I came off as angry," he quickly interrupted her. "I just never expected to have to put out a fire and was... concerned, un."

"Concerned?" she turned her now curious gaze to him.

"...U-Un," he mumbled as he tossed the cloth into the sink. "Well, that's the last of the flour. Let's clean this mess up and finish dinner, shall we?"

"Huh?" Emi's purple-blue eyes blinked. "But Deidara-san, you don't have to..."

"Someone has to make sure you don't start another fire, un," the blond gave her a teasing grin and a wink. "Right?"

The lavender-haired girl could feel her cheeks grow a little warmer. In return, she smiled sheepishly, meekly. "Um... right... Arigatou."

**Aina X Hidan**

"MARCO!" Hidan's voice shouted, reaching far more than just the living room.

"POLO!" the green-haired medic nin shouted back. As the priest moved to get closer to her, Aina scurried away, putting the sofa between them.

"MARCO!" he shouted again, careful with every step he took.

A smile grew on the girl's face. "POLO!"

"Marco, I'm kinda not liking this game."

"Aw, don't worry, Polo. If you keep trying, you might catch me."

"But that's a big 'might.'"

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to keep trying."

Hidan stopped for a moment. "You stopped moving, didn't you?"

"Teehee! For the moment..." her voice was devious as she watched him.

"Well then, I guess it's time for me to finish this up then!"

Hidan charged forwards, the direction of the girl's voice. It may not have been the smartest plan to run with a blindfold on his eyes, but if he was quick, he should be able to catch her. A few steps into his run, and his stomach collided with something, and he toppled over it. Finding himself in a seated position, he realized he had flipped over the couch and landed perfectly sitting on it.

"You know, I think I'm good on Marco-Polo," he said, taking the blindfold off.

Blinking his eyes, he saw Aina was right in front of him. "That means I win!"

"This time...anyways, I think we should play a different game...one that I like."

"Oh, and what would this be?" the younger asked curiously.

"Come here and I'll show you."

The medic nin walked over and sat next to the Jashinist on the couch, facing him. "Ok, what do I do?"

"You get to wear the blindfold this time," he stated, placing it over her eyes, reaching around her to tie it. "We're gonna play the nervous game."

"I feel like I've heard of this game..."

"It's easy, all you have to do is sit there and be pretty, like you are, and respond to my question."

"Oh, that sounds simple."

Hidan proceeded to place his hand on her knee. "Are you nervous?"

"No."

He moved his hand up so it was just above her knee. "Are you nervous?"

"No," she began to smile.

His hand moved up a little further, resting a couple inches above her knee. "Are you nervous?"

Her smile grew just a little bit. "No."

"Are you nervous?" he asked once again after moving his hand a little further up her leg.

"Nope, not yet. Keep trying."

"Goodness, you're difficult. How about here?" he asked yet again, his hand now on her hip.

"You know, you're not doing a very good job of making me nervous."

"For Jashin's sake, you're neigh impossible sometimes!" he exclaimed, moving his hand yet again. "Nervous now?"

"Nope."

Again. "How about now?"

"Hmm. Not quite."

Just then, the priest got a devious grin. If she wasn't about to get nervous any time soon, then maybe...

_Pat!_

"How about _now_?" Hidan asked, seeing the girl's face start to glow red.

"Not even close!" Aina yelled, ripping the blindfold off. "You pervert!"

_SMACK!_

"OW!" the silver-haired Jashinist cried out as he fell back from Aina's powerful punch. "That fricken' hurt!"

"I would consider that a good thing!"

Hidan glared a moment, only to have a smile grow on his face. "Gotta admit, I was pretty clever for thinking of a way to get you to react."

Aina stared a moment, thinking on his words. She, too, ended up revealing a devious curl on the ends of her lips. "Alright. I'll give you that point."

"Heh heh heh," the young man grinned. "So, do I get a kiss for that point?"

"Hmm... Oh, sure, I suppose you _do _deserve a reward," the green-haired kunoichi replied and walked toward him, stuffing a hand in her pocket. Hidan's grin only grew wider as he sat up, closed his eyes, and puckered up. Before he knew it, he felt a pressure against his lips, a force pushing into his mouth. It tasted like... like...

"Chocolate?" he blinked in confusion.

Aina winked before strolling about her merry way. "Chocolate kiss, to be exact."

**Emi X Hidan**

"Aaahhh, today is a good day," Hidan grinned as he carefully grabbed his now heated bottle of sake and commenced to head out to the couch. He didn't even bother to grab a cup of any kind. Just the bottle. Glee was apparent on his face as he settled himself down onto the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him and switching on the TV to his beloved, yet hated TV program. He set the remote down and bent his arm back behind him so his neck would rest up against his hand as he brought up the bottle of alcohol to his lips. "Yup, today is a good, _perfect_ day..."

"Um, hello, Hidan-san," came a gentle voice.

Hidan's purple-pink eyes blinked and diverted them towards the familiar voice as he brought his sake-occupied arm down. "Huh? Hi Emi," he smiled. "What brings you here?"

"I just got done with some chores is all," she replied. "What about you? Watching your favorite show again?"

"Pretty much."

"May I join?"

"Eh, what the heck."

The young girl's face seemed to brighten at the acceptance and smiled. "Arigatou!" she, without thinking, started to enthusiastically make her way onto the couch, but failed to realize Hidan's legs were still in the way. "Ah!" Emi cried out as she found herself toppling over his strong legs. The priests' body shuddered with movement just as he was about to take another sip from the bottle, causing the sake to slip out of his hand.

"GAAAAHHHHH!" His eyes became unimaginably wide with pain, tears seeming to gloss over. "FREAKING JASHIN IN FRACKIN' HECK!"

"Aahh! Hidan, I-I'm sorry! Gomen nasai!"

"FOR JASHIN'S SAKE, EMI! YOU'RE ALWAYS STUMBLING AROUND LIKE A BUMBLING IDIOT, NEVER WATCHING WHERE YOU'RE GOING! NOW MY INNER THIGH IS BURNED AND ALL MY SAKE IS GONE!"

"G-gomen nasai..." the young girl spoke, attempting to hold back tears. Seeing Hidan so angry at her...she never liked to see anyone angry at her.

Hidan blinked a couple times, finally realized what all of his yelling did. Did it heal his leg? Did it get him more sake? Would it change the fact Emi tripped, therefore causing all of this? No, it didn't. His yelling got him no where but to Emi fighting back tears.

"Emi...I'm...I'm...sorry..."

The young medic nin stopped rubbing her eyes to look at the other man. "Wh-what did you say...?"

"I said..." he took a deep breath. "I said I'm sorry..."

"Hidan...I...I forgive you."

"Wait, really? You forgive me? Oh, thank Jashin! I was scared you were gonna hate me!"

Emi couldn't help but chuckle a little. "I don't hate you, Hidan. In fact, I'm...I'm kinda...fond of you..."

"Fond of me?" the priest asked in confusion. "As in you like me...or more?"

The purple-haired girl's cheeks flushed a deep red. "Yes...I do."

"Oh," Hidan had to take a moment to think. 'Ok, Hidan! She likes you! Now all you have to do is tell her you like her too! Or...maybe I should tell her I love her...too soon? But if I don't tell her soon, someone like Sasori might try to get her, and there's no telling what _he's_ gonna do to her. My sweet Emi...a creepy puppet...NO! Hidan, you've gotta tell her! You just do! If you don't, she'll end up as some strange half-wood-half-Emi-creepy-puppet-thingamabober-of-doom. You have to tell her you love her! There's no other way to save her!'

"Emi...I...I...louvuetoo..."

"Huh? Hidan, I couldn't quite understand that."

"I said...Iloveyoutoo..."

"You...you what?" she asked, continuing her attempt to decipher his words.

"I...ILOVEYOUTOO!"

"...You...you _loathe_ me?" she gasped as more tears welled up in her eyes.

"NO! No, that's not what I said! I...love...you...too..." he finally managed to say.

Emi blinked her eyes, her mini-heart attack going away. "Oh, oh..." she then began to smile. "I...love you, too."

"Now, why don't you sit with me and watch T.V. for a little bit?"

"Ok...arigatou."

The Jashinist reached for the remote before wrapping an arm around the small girl's shoulders. "Eh, it's no big deal."

**AinaXEmi**

Aina grinned to herself, watching as wax rubbed its own texture against the white spaces trapped between the curves and lines of black ink. She watched as the white became her favorite color green and couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips.

"I like green..." she mumbled to herself in glee, only to have her self-indulgence interrupted by laughing in the next room. Raising an eyebrow, she let curiosity get the best of her and got up to investigate.

In the family room, she found Deidara and Hidan laughing their heads off, apparently at the younger girl with lavender hair. She glanced at her fellow medic nin and immediately figured out what Emi's predicament was. She tripped and fell on top of a soaking wet Sasori, who was slowly getting irritated; two cups lay on the floor beside the couch he sat on.

Without any other thought, Aina walked right over to the group. "Alright, alright, what's going on here? Did Emi fall again?"

The silver-haired man laughed harder. "Heck, yes! You should have seen it, Aina, it was fricken' hilarious!"

"Yeah," Deidara added, once again on the verge of laughing, "Emi came to give us some drinks and she tripped over her own foot. _Her own foot, un!_ And she ended up falling on top of Sasori no Danna _and _got him wet! It was so beautiful! So fleetingly beautiful, un!"

"It was not, brat," a dripping wet Sasori glared venomously. "There's _nothing_ beautiful about this child falling on me."

"May not have been beautiful, but it was fracking hilarious!" Hidan boomed yet another laughing fit.

"...Pfft! Ok, I guess that _does_ sound pretty funny..." Aina chuckled.

"A-Aina!" Emi blushed with the utmost embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, Emi," she smiled, grabbing the girl's small arm to help her up. "Let's get you dried off."

"O... Ok..."

With Aina being the leader, she led her and Emi to the nearest bathroom and grabbed a towel from one of the cupboards.

"Here we go," she smiled and threw the towel over the younger's head, rubbing the fluffy cloth into her hair. "You've really gotta quit tripping with things in your hands. At least wait till you set it down," she said jokingly.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to remember that."

A small moment of silence passed as Aina finished drying the other off. "There we go! All better!"

"Arigatou," Emi smiled to her.

"No prob! Now, we need to get you out of those wet clothes!"

"WHA-!"

"I won't be in the room! Though I do wanna help you pick something out! Oh, there are so many cute choices...let's go!" and with that, the young girl was pulled away by her slightly older friend back to her room. After taking a moment to rummage through the youngest's things, Aina pulled out a small sundress. "Here we go, try this one!"

"You know, Aina...did you ever think to wear some of these yourself? I mean, I don't have a problem with you dressing me up like this, but you seem so fond of it..."

"Meh, it's not really my style. Anyways, if I put you in it, then I can admire how adorable you are!" Aina grinned to the younger, and Emi couldn't help but smile back. "Well, I'll let you get dressed. I'll be in the living room."

A few minutes later, and Emi was no longer wet, and was now wearing a pink sundress. Sure enough, she was able to find Aina exactly where the elder said she would be.

Brown eyes widened at the young girl. "Ah! You look so lovely, Emi!" she squealed as she ran over to the purple-haired girl. "You're so sweet, I could just eat you all up!"

"Aina, I like being in one piece..." Emi shyly said.

"D'aw, I guess I should let you be, I mean, you'd probably look funny with a part of your cheek missing."

"Just a little..."

Another giggle escaped the elder's lips. "Well then, how about we watch some TV? No one's in here anymore, so we can watch what we want this time! No more whining and complaining coming from Hidan!"

Emi couldn't help but laugh as she joined her friend on the couch. "I like this idea..."

"Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" Aina cheered while reaching for the remote and turning on the TV, flipping to a show she knew they both liked.

A little bit of time passed, the two watching characters run all over the screen. Aina suddenly felt a bit of a heavy tap, then a pressure against her shoulder. Her brown eyes looked down at the small kunoichi beside her, dozing off. The corners of her lips couldn't help but curl in. Carefully, she started to move her arm, to get it around her kohai, but that immediately woke her up.

"Ah, gomen..."

"Huh?" Emi blinked in a daze, slowly coming into realization. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Started to. Sorry for waking you."

"Ah, no, I should be sorry for sleeping on you...!"

A chuckle emerged deep from within Aina's throat. "It's fine, as long as I was a good pillow."

"Oh, um.. I suppose you are."

"Heh heh, see? Don't worry about it, Emi!" she said, commencing to finish wrapping her arm around said girl and bringing her close. "My cute, adorable Emi."

"Wh-wha...?"

Aina grinned. "I love you, Emi."

"Wh-WHAT?" the girl's whole face burned red in confusion. What did she mean by love? When it came to Aina, it could mean _anything_...

"I love you. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Ah... um... I... I love you, too...?"

Shaking her head, the older medic kunoichi couldn't help but smile. "You don't get it, do you? When I say 'I love you,' I actually mean it."

"Wha-what kind of 'I love you' do you mean?"

Chuckling, Aina decided to make things clearer to the naive little girl. "I mean this-" the green-haired girl held the other closer and leaned in, letting her lips press gently against Emi's. Just as quickly as she leaned in, she just as quickly leaned back, "kind of love."

She watched as Emi's face turned far darker than crimson, her hands flying up to her lips. As much as she would have liked to know if Emi felt comfortable or not, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction. Now to see what Emi thought...

"O-oh..." Emi's voice rang softly, regaining Aina's attention. "That kind of... love..."

"Yes, that kind of love... Are you ok, Emi?"

Without thinking, Emi nodded immediately. "I-I'm fine... but... I have to tell you something too, Aina..." she replied, her voice lowering in volume with every word.

"Ok..."

"I... um..." the lavender-haired girl paused, her purple-blue eyes shyly gazing up at Aina's chocolate brown. Without another word, she shifted in the slightest and planted a small kiss on the side of Aina's face. "I love you, too."

:::::

AN: Well, that was something completely different, now wasn't it? So, our questions to you are this: Which story was your favorite? Least favorite? If you could have picked another pairing for either Emi or Aina (or both), is there a different one you would have done? We're curious to hear your thoughts, so even if you are new to the fic, feel free to respond! But for now, hope we've brightened your day!

~Nino and Sakura


	33. Bonus Chapter: Filling In the Spaces

AN: Whoa, sorry about this! I posted the wrong version of this chapter! Well, for those of you who didn't read the old edit, this takes place right after Chapter 27 (29 ): Cute Doesn't Begin to Cover It. Please Enjoy the right edit of this!

Bonus Chapter: Filling In the Spaces

"Is that all of it?" Sasori asked, scanning the halls and corridors for any sign of left over bunny fur or… 'bunny.'

"I think so," Emi replied, setting the vacuum back to its rightful place. "All that's left are the walls…"

"Yup," the eldest of the two nodded.

"But how will we fix it? I don't think we have any plaster… And I'm sure Kakuzu will dread if we went to buy some."

The puppeteer headed towards his room. "Who cares about what Kakuzu thinks? Anyways, I think I might have something that will fix it."

"Huh? You do? How can you be so sure?"

Brown eyes turned and locked on the girl's, a small smile creeping onto Sasori's face. "Emi, I create puppets. I think I would know if I had something to fix walls or not."

"Ah…" she blinked, a silent epiphany overcoming her thoughts. "Oh."

He chuckled, having had finally reached his room. "Of course, I can't say I have paint for the walls. Do you have any, you think? Paint in general?"

"No, I can't say I do. Gomen."

"It's fine. just need to find something black to go over it is all."

"Yeah, I suppose… Oh!" Emi's purple-blue eyes seemed to spark in an epiphany. "I think I know what we can use!"

"Hm? What could that be?" the scorpion questioned, holding a small bucket which seemed to hold some sort of plaster (for the puppets, no doubt. Maybe it was wood putty, for all anyone knew).

Emi couldn't help but grin and give him a quick wink before running to her room. "You'll see. Be back in a moment!"

Sasori stood there, left to wonder what the young girl was up to. What in the world could she have thought of that wasn't paint? He just shook his head and headed back to the location of the holes in the walls, figuring he might as well get as much as he possibly could get done now instead of having to wait.

:::::

"Danna! Danna, I'm back!" a familiar voice caught the attention of the puppet master of the red sand, causing him to veer his attention to his girlfriend. "Sorry I took so long. I had trouble finding what I was looking for."

"So that's why you took almost fifteen minutes," he huffed. "If you really needed help, you could have asked. Would have cut down the time I had to wait for you greatly."

"But you weren't there for me to ask anyways," Emi pointed out. "Besides, what's important is that I now have what I was looking for."

"What _is _it that you were looking for anyhow?"

"These!" Yet another grin grew on her face as she brought her hands from behind her to reveal thin, cylindrical, black tubes.

Sasori paused, letting his mind register the picture that lay before him. "…Inking pens?"

"You guessed right, Sasori," the purple-haired girl giggled. "I may not have paint, but I figured my black inking pens would do, don't you think? It's permanent and water-proof too, so it should last a while!"

"You… pfft…" Sasori's wooden body began to quiver, a small fit of soft laughter arising from his throat. "You're something else. Are you really resorting to such a petty thing?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," Emi gave him a little pout. The puppeteer couldn't help but chuckle more-it was too cute. "And it was the only thing I could think of… Is it really that odd?"

"Yes, it is," he smiled adoringly towards her, "but I like this idea."

:::::

"So has Deidara told you about the mis-fortunes they've had during their mission yet, Sasori?" Emi asked as she busied herself with the inking of the walls. Sasori had also made himself busy with the same task on the other now-plastered hole. "Aina told me that they had come across some problems… mostly with their budget."

"Is that so?" he replied slowly. Suddenly, Emi noticed a twisted smile curl ever-so slightly throughout his lips. "I wonder what happened to their budget?"

"I suppose that would be the mystery there…" her brow raised, wondering why such a smile would be on his face. "It's not every day someone's mission budget gets cut completely in half on the day they leave… Unless Kakuzu got to it?"

"Heh heh," the red-head's face suddenly held a villainous look upon it. "Oh, I highly doubt it was Kakuzu."

"You think so? Why do you say that?" the younger medical kunoichi asked, only to stop herself short before saying any more, suddenly catching on. "Da-Danna! You didn't!" she gasped.

"What did I do?"

"Did you cut their budget?"

"Emi, I am Akasuna no Sasori no Danna," he reached over and patted her head, his grin still as mischievous as the Cheshire cat himself. "I believe I can do whatever I please. But why would I waste my time on such a childish prank?"

The younger was left speechless. Did her boyfriend really do such a thing? Then again… it would be something he'd do… But then, would he really go so far?

"Yo-you didn't plan to poison them, did you?" she asked, looking up at him, despite his arm being in the way.

"My dear Emi, why would I do that? They're alive and well."

"But that…!"

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled, patting her head more. "They're fine, aren't they? At least they're not dead."

"…I suppose that's true."

"Anyways, I see you're already done coloring the wall?"

"Oh, yes! I am."

Sasori's smile changed, this time softer with absolutely no trace of ill-intent. "The ink blends right in with the paint. That's good. Pretty clever girl, you are."

"Ah…" Emi could feel her cheeks burn gently. "A-arigatou."

"Hm," he leaned in slightly, lips brushing against the temple of Emi's overheated face. "I mean it."

:::::

AN: Whew! I'm glad Sakura caught that! Sorry about that, folks! I don't know what I was thinking, but I forgot there was two versions of the middle/end section, and I put the wrong one up! Well, mistakes happen. ARIGATOU SAKURA-CHAN! Feel free to let us know what you think of this chapter!

~Nino and Sakura


	34. So You Said We Are Going Where?

AN: Aanndd...We're not dead yet! Gomen for not posting in a while...writters block with lots of stuff happening will do that. However, we did go to an Anime Convention in Alma, Michigan! Sakura went as Deidara and I as Sasori! It was pretty awesome! We also had two other friends go as Kakuzu and Itachi, and found a Hidan at the con! ^^ Oh, so many wonderful memories!

So, without any more delay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 30: So You Said We Are Going Where?

"Ok, Mr. Deodorant, you can come out now~" called out the young medic nin, pushing some green hair behind an ear. "I'm done playing hide-and-seek..."

"Aina, un?" the blond stepped into her room. Deidara had a slightly puzzled, yet amused, look on his face. "You do know that sticks of deodorant don't have ears, right, un?"

"And do most people have mouths on their hands?"

"What does that have to do with...wait, are you suggesting your deodorant mutated with some sort of jutsu, un?"

After pulling herself out from under her bed, Aina finally looked at her boyfriend. "Here in the Akatsuki, you never know. Remember Harry?"

"Ah, yes...I suppose just about anything can happen here..."

"So...where else could you be, Mr. Deodorant?"

The blue-eyed man watched in amusement as the younger girl continued to search for the missing object. He was looking around the room, making sure she didn't miss it in an obvious place.

"You sure it's not in the bathroom, un?"

"I remember bringing it in here yesterday, though."

"You mean to tell me you haven't seen it since yesterday, un?"

"Yeah, that's not too long for it to be gone, but I would like it back now...SO YOU CAN COME OUT NOW, MR. DEODORANT!"

Deidara could only manage a sigh as he continued to watch her check every spot in her room.

"Is Aina looking for this?" a small voice asked from behind the blond. Both he and the girl in question looked to see Emi, a stick of deodorant in hand.

"Wait..._you _found my deodorant? WHERE?" the green-haired girl shouted, rushing over to take the object from the younger girl.

"It was on the bathroom counter, where it always is..."

"Way to go, Aina, un," Deidara smirked, attempting to fight the urge to smack his palm against his forehead.

"I was gonna look there eventually!" she argued as she placed the small stick in her bag. After it was placed, she zipped the duffel bag closed, hoisting it on her shoulder. "Well, I think I'm ready to go!"

"Good, let's head out, un," the blond shifted his bag, letting her know he was already done for quite a while now.

Not taking it to thought, the medic nin picked her bag up and headed to the door. "You ready, Emi?"

"I think so..." she replied, mentally going over anything she may have forgotten.

"Let's get to the family room then!"

:::::

Upon entering the family room, the three found Kakuzu, Konan, Pein, and Sasori all ready to go. Itachi and Kisame had just walked into the room before them from the looks of it. All of them had a bag with a week's worth of packing, with the exception of Sasori's, whose bag was almost half the size of the other's.

"You know, Danna, I'm pretty sure you don't need to poison the bath on this trip, un," Deidara gave his master a sly smirk.

"Do you really think I'd do something as obvious as that, brat?" the puchinello raised a brow. "I'm just going to poison your food instead."

The bomber made a face. "But... isn't that even _more_ obvious, un?"

"If only you fall sick, then for all anyone knows, it might be just the flu. If everyone else got sick, then all the fingers would be pointed at me," he retorted. "Besides, it's also easier that way and I won't have to sit there and wait until you finally assume room temperature."

"...What does "assuming room temperature" have to do with being poisoned, un?"

"It's a phrase, brat," the red-head grimly informed the blond. "It means 'to die.'"

"Oh, gee, thank you SOOO much, Danna. I'm glad you actually care about my knowledge of assuming room temperatures, un."

"You're welcome."

"What about the temperature?" Hidan asked, walking into the room with his bag. "I think it feels fine in here, if you ask me."

"That's not exactly what we're talking about, you imbecile," Kakuzu grumbled.

"Imbecilen!"

"TOBI IS READY TO GO!" the masked man yelled as he nearly danced into the room, his body arabesque as he skipped and twirled along the way. "Tobi is a good boy, yes, Zetsu-san?"

"Tobi is a good boy," Zetsu replied behind him, holding a bag of his own.

"It looks like we're all here," Konan stated, taking an internal head count.

Pein nodded. "Let's head out then."

"YAAAAAAY! Oh, we're off to see the wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!" Tobi and Aina sang, skipping out of the base while the rest just looked after them quizzically, shook their heads, and dared to continue (or start, rather) to follow them.

:::::

"I just can't wait to get on the road again!" Aina sang as they travelled. "The life I love is making music with my friends! I can't wait to get on the road again!"

"Off the road again!" Hidan bursted before the medic nin could finish. "I just can't wait to get off the road again! The life I love is playing football with my friends, I can't wait to get off the road again!"

"Those aren't the right words..." the green-haired girl raised a brow at his new lyrics.

"Well, that's how I'm gonna sing it!"

"How about you both pipe down and be quiet?" the old zombie threatened in a low tone.

"Aw, come on, 'Kuzu, it's not like there's anything else better to do!" Hidan argued.

"I'm sure there is..."

"Oh, so you're saying we should play "I spy with my little fracking eye, something that looks like a tree!" in the middle of a fudging forest?"

"Yes... Yes, I am."

"Oh, you are just un-fricking-believable!"

"Good."

"Are we even there yet?"

"Don't ask me, ask Leader-sama. He knows where we're apparently going."

Hidan looked over at Pein and made a face. "Hey, Pein, ol' buddy, ol' pal, are we there yet?"

"No," he answered without making any eye contact.

"When will we be there?"

"Soon."

"How soon is soon?"

"Soon."

"So we're almost there?"

"No."

"We're not there yet?"

"Nooo..."

"You're _sure_ we're not there yet...?"

"Quite."

A long pause came. Pein was definitely a man of few words, that was for sure. The Jashinist waited a moment, wondering if he could get him to say more than one word. Waited. Waited. Waited...

"...Are we there _now_?"

"Negatory."

"Ugh!" the silver-haired man yelped as he brought his hands up to run them through his hair. "We're _never_ gonna get there, are we?

"Soon."

"No, you know what? I'm done talking to you! I'm gonna find someone who'll hold a decent conversation! Yo, Sasori, my man-"

"No," the scorpion stated before he could even finish speaking.

"Fine, didn't wanna talk to you anyways," Hidan grumbled. After thinking for a minute or two, he finally decided to walk beside his blond companion. "Hey, Deidara," he half whispered.

"What, un?" the blond asked in return, slight irritation in his voice.

"...Do you think we're there yet?"

"What did Leader-sama say, un?"

"...No..."

"There's your answer, un."

Hidan pouted, letting a silence fall between them before speaking again. "Hey, Deidara?"

"What, un?"

"...Where do you think we're goin'?"

"I dunno, I'd ask Leader-sama, un."

"I don't wanna talk to him!" the Jashinist whined. "He doesn't say much anyways."

"Well, then I guess you get to wait, don't you, un?"

"You don't even have a guess...?"

"Nope, un."

"What about you, 'Kuzu?"

"I despise guessing games," the miser grumbled.

"Fine, you're not gonna tell me, or guess with me, so I guess I'll just annoy the fudging crap out of the lot of ya be-oches* while I sing!"

"Ooohhh, goody..." the greedy man grumbled and groaned once again.

:::::

And so, after many a mile was traveled, and many a question asked by Hidan (mainly 'are we there yet?' with the response of 'no'), our merry band of Akatsuki reached the entrance of a village...The Village Hidden in the Boiling Water (AKA: Village Hidden in the Hot Springs).

"We're here," Pein-sama simply replied as he continued to walk. The others followed him, except for Hidan.

"Oh, no...oh, no I'm not going in there," the Jashinist began, purple eyes wide with horror. "There is no way I'm going back there."

"Dude, what's your problem, un? What's so bad about going to hot springs?" Deidara asked, pushing his blond bangs our of his face.

Aina also turned around, giving the priest a skeptical look. "Hot springs aren't _that _bad...there pretty nice, actually."

"No, you guys have no idea at all...this is where I'm from."

"Huh?" a few of the members asked together, now that everyone was aware that Hidan had stopped.

Quickly, the silver-haired man ripped his cloak open. "Did you ever bother to look at my frakin' forehead protector?"

"Hidan," Emi shyly started, covering her eyes. "Please don't do that! I don't know what you have under your cloak!"

"Or lack there-of," Aina monotonously stated.

"Don't you people get it? This is my home village! This is the place I left behind!" Hidan continued to shout. Eventually, the other's decided to continue on in. Hidan wouldn't want to be left out, so he'd follow.

The walked down the streets, which were very nice, filled with souvenir shops and lots of places to get good food. Aina had her eyes set on a nice place that gave out meat on sticks. Pein-sama ultimately lead them to the entrance of the actual hotel/hot springs, and entered with the others following him.

The lobby was very grand. Off-white tiles lay across the ground, while bamboo furniture decorated the room. Tending to one of the many plants in the room was a young woman with long silver hair. Hearing their footsteps, she turned around, revealing large purple eyes.

"Hello," she started in a sweet voice. "Welcome to Yugakure! My name is Kasumi. How may I help you?"

"Yes," Pein began. "We are here with reservations under the name Nagato."

"Ah, sure. Let me just check my books a second..." her voice trailed off as her eyes scanned the group. "Hidan...is...is that...you...?"

"Um...oh, crap..." the Jashinist hardly managed. Purple eyes looked into each other as the two silver-haired people looked at each other.

Slowly, the girl's eyes softened, a small smile growing on her face. "It's been so long, Hidan. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Yeah, I guess I didn't think I was gonna see you again, either."

"Wait, hold on a second!" Kakuzu practically shouted. "You know this girl?"

"Um, yeah. Funny story, so...this is my younger sister, Kasumi."

All eyes widened as they looked back and forth between Hidan and Kasumi. Hidan. Kasumi. Hidan. Kasumi. Hidan. Kasumi.

"She acts nothing like you," Sasori finally managed, being the first to regain speech.

"Nope, not at all," Hidan responded.

Kasumi continued to gently smile at her older brother. "I take it this means you're still as rude as ever with a mouth worse than a drunken sailor."

"Frackin' heck, of course!"

The silver-haired girl let out a sigh, bringing a hand up to her forehead. "I should only have known...you'll never change," she walked up to him, finally embracing him in a hug. "It's so nice to see you again, Hidan."

"It's...loverly to see you too, Kasumi...so, are mom and dad here too?"

Kasumi let her brother go, looking at him with slightly sad eyes. "Hidan... They're... I'll tell you later..."

"Huh?" Hidan's nearly white eyebrow raised in great question. "Alright..."

"Anyways, here are the keys to your room." She handed Pein the keys and a couple cards and smiled. "Your room is on the third floor."

"Thank you," the leader nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "Let's go."

"Alright! Fancy room, here we come!" Aina grinned and skipped off to the stairs with her luggage. Everyone followed suit, carrying their own bags.

:::::

"Mother of fudging Jashin!" a certain priest gasped as he hauled his bag up the stairs. "When are we gonna fracking get to the frickin' room?"

"We're almost there, imbecile," Kakuzu answered, not at all affected by the flight of stairs and his own pack.

"It's too muuuuch!" he groaned loudly and obnoxiously. "I don't want to carry this fracking bag anymore!"

"And you call yourself a ninja, un?" Deidara gave him a look and shook his head. "Shame, dude... shame, un."

"SHUT THE FRICK UP, YOU FAG! How in the fracking world are you not phased by this anyways?"

"Um... I'm a ninja, un?"

"Graaahhh! Frack you all to fudging heck! Jashin would _enjoy_ torturing you!"

"Uh, Hidan, we're already at the top of the stairs..." Emi said gently.

"I DON'T CARE! I JUST WANT TO GET TO THE TOP OF THESE STUPID STAIRS RIGHT-Oh, we're at the top already?" He blinked, that thick brick wall of realization hitting him and crumbling like a piece of crumb cake. "Thank Jashin! I'm so happy we're at the fudging top! Oh thank you, Jashin! I knew you'd-"

_Ding!_

Blinking, his purple eyes veered over to where his short attention span was caught. Beside him were two bamboo decorated doors that slid open, allowing some of the guests visiting to walk out with their luggage and head to their room. Hidan was speechless...

"...friggin'... rip... me... off. JASHIN, CURSE YOU!" he shouted as he shook a fist in the air. "CURSE YOU ALL! DISHONOR ON YOU! DISHONOR ON YOUR FAMILY OR CONCUBINES OR WHATEVER YOU FRACKING HAVE! DISHONOR ON YOUR COW! DISHONOR ON ALL OF YOU!"

All the while, the guests looked over and gave him weird looks. A mother did her best to cover her children's ears, shocked at all that she heard from the inane man screaming his head off (no pun intended) before her. The guest family looked at the rest of the Akatsuki, giving them a weird look as well.

"Um, we don't know him, un," Deidara jabbed a thumb in Hidan's direction.

"Yeah, you see, there's this fad going around, and so we're finding people with cloaks like ours everywhere..." Aina added.

"We have absolutely no connections with this lunatic, we assure you," Kakuzu added. "In fact, I might just cut off whatever connection may start right now..."

No longer wanting to be in their presence, the family briskly headed to their room. There was NO way they were sticking around.

After a moment, Sasori waited until the family was safely in their room before turning his attention to the eldest of the Akatsuki. "You know, I must say, I would absolutely _love_ to help you with that."

:::::

"Sofa!" Aina cheered as she threw her bag onto the floor, proceeding to flop herself onto said sofa. "You know, I like this sofa!"

"That's good, because that's probably where you'll be sleeping," Konan smiled to the girl.

"Wait, you're gonna make the girl sleep on the sofa, un?" Deidara asked with slight confusion in his voice.

"We're not going to mix the genders, so yes, Aina and Emi will share the sofa," Pein began to explain. "The room to our right has four beds in it, that is where the rest of you will sleep. The room to the left has one bed in it, and that is where Konan and I will be."

"Wait, I thought you said we weren't gonna mix genders! Wouldn't that be doing so?" Hidan shouted.

"Normally, yes. There's one important difference between us and all of you though."

Everyone waited for the response, which finally came from Konan.

"Pein and I are married."

All eyes went wide at the five simple words. No one was really sure what to think. It was like they didn't see it coming, but it made so much sense at the same time.

"You can't be freakin' serious?" the Jashinist shouted again.

"Yes, we are. We're serious all the time."

"Yeah, you are, Pein! What about Konan though? Surely she's gotta have some moments where she's pullin' our legs!"

"Nope," she simply responded.

"What about that one time you stomped me with your shoe! That frackin' hurt!"

"I was being serious then, too."

"Hm..." Aina began to ponder to herself. "Wonder what other secrets you two are hiding..."

"Well, I suppose there is one other thing we haven't told any of you. We were going to tell at dinner, but..."

"Maybe now would be the best time, Konan."

Once again, everyone waited to hear what they had to say next. And once again, Konan was the one to respond.

"Well, Pein and I are expecting a child."

Once again, all eyes went wide at the eight simple words. No one was really sure what to say.

"Do you have any idea..." Kakuzu began this time, "how expensive a child would be?"

"Now, hold up a minute," Hidan jumped in. "When you say you're expecting a child, do you mean you're waiting to find one on the streets of Ame or...do you mean you're actually gonna, you know, _make_ a kid?"

"Well, I suppose the proper tense would be _made_ a kid, but yes, it would be the latter of the two," Konan verified.

"When are you expecting?" Emi beamed, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"Wait, you're actually _excited_ for this?" Hidan shouted.

"But Hidan!" she turned to him with a coo in her voice. "It's a _baby_! I love babies! They're so adorable!"

"Who's fracking idea was it to invite this girl into the Akatsuki?"

Immediately, both Aina and Sasori pointed to the blond beside his girlfriend.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't blame me, un! Besides, we all agreed she was a good asset, un!"

"But. it's. still. your. FAULT!" the priest growled.

"Alright, alright, enough of this, Hidan," Konan grabbed his shoulder to force him back before he could think of pouncing onto the bomber. "It's fine if Emi is excited for us. At least she _is_ happy for us, unlike someone here who's complaining."

"I'm excited!" Aina raised her hand quickly with a grin.

"Aina," Deidara reasoned, "you would get excited over anything, un."

"Heh heh, I would."

"Anyways, to answer you're question, Emi, we should be expecting around April," Konan gave the youngest a small smile.

"That's great! Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

"Boy," Pein answered.

Konan added on, "We just found out."

"YES! Increasing the male population of the Akatsuki!" Hidan made a fist pump in the air.

"But isn't the male population already ten to three, Hidan-senpai?" Tobi asked.

"Who fracking cares!"

"Alright you guys, how about you get unpacked," the paper angel suggested, motioning to their room.

"Sounds good to me, un!" Deidara grinned and headed right into the room. Slowly, the remaining male population of the Akatsuki (with the exception of Pein) followed the blond into the room.

The two girls managed to get situated easily in the living room, while Pein and Konan headed into their room. As for the rest of the Akatsuki...

:::::

"Tobi wants this bed!" Tobi shouted, leaping onto the bed nearest the door.

"Yes, I don't have to share a bed, un!" Deidara cheered as he watched the others head towards beds.

"How do you come to that conclusion, dummy?" Hidan questioned as he set his stuff onto the third bed from the door.

"Well, you see, we're probably gonna share beds with our 'partners,' right? So, since Sasori is my partner, and doesn't require sleep, I get the bed to myself, un!"

"You're forgetting one thing," Itachi started.

"What would that be, un?"

"Zetsu isn't going to be sharing a bed. I don't think any of us would fit on the bed with him, so that means Tobi needs a different place to sleep. With you having the open bed spot..."

"No...no..."

"Yay, Tobi gets to share a bed with Senpai!"

"Please, anyone but him, un..."

"Sorry, but that's how this is going to work, Deidara."

"I hate you, Itachi, un..."

"Tobi loves you, Senpai!"

"Ugh, this is gonna be a long trip, un..."

"Hey, at least you don't have to share a bed with frackin' 'Kuzu!" Hidan added.

"That might actually be better, un."

"We're gonna have so much fun, Senpai! We can tell stories and I can brush your hair for you and we can touch up our nail polish together and-"

"TOBI! You're giving me a headache, un!"

"Tobi is sorry, Senpai! Here, let Tobi rub the pain away," the masked ninja offered as he reached for the blond's head.

"NO TOBI!"

Just outside the room, Emi and Aina sat comfortably on the couch.

"This is gonna be a fun trip," Aina simply stated.

Emi just looked at the green-haired ninja. "It's going to be interesting, at least."

:::::

"Aaahhh..." Aina sighed as she slowly entered the steaming hot water, letting her body get used to the temperature. Thankfully, the heat was just right, considering how the air gave her a slight chill. She walked in and went to join Emi on one side of the hot springs bath, leaning against a huge rock. "This feels sooooooo good~!"

"Doesn't it?" Emi smiled, her cheeks already red from the heat. "It feels nice after a long day."

"Yeah, my feet hurt after travelling for so long!"

"Then I suppose it's a good thing we're here," Konan smiled gently, sitting down to dip her feet in the water. Sure enough, underneath her towel, she was showing. The two girls wondered how she was able to hide it for so long though.

'Probably because of the cloak,' Aina concluded, nodding to herself.

"Did you girls want to feel the baby kick?" The eldest medic nin was drawn away from her thoughts to the blue-haired kunoichi. Her slate grey eyes were looking directly at her. Question was left on the girl's face.

"The baby kicks?"

"He does. Would you like to feel? He's quite a lively one."

"Sure!" Emi was first to wade her way over to Konan. She placed her hand on Konan's towel-covered belly to feel. "...Aina! You have to come over here! It's really cool!"

The kunoichi followed her kohai with an "ok" and placed her hand near Emi's. After a few moments, she suddenly felt a bump against her hand.

"Wh.. WHOA!" Aina's brown eyes beamed. "That's so weird!"

"Does it hurt?" Emi asked next.

"Sometimes, though it doesn't hurt today."

"Tee hee," Aina started to laugh.

"Something funny, Aina?" the kohai asked her sempai.

"He's kicking me. I think he's gonna make a great ninja, if he can attack before he's even born!"

The other two women looked at each other before joining Aina in laughing.

"Of course he'll make for a good ninja, he is Pein and I's child," Konan beamed in between laughs.

:::::

To the other side of the wooden fence...

:::::

"Hot springs!" Tobi shouted as he canon-balled into the hot water.

"Tobi! You don't jump into the water, un!"

"He's hopeless, Deidara," Sasori attempted to reason.

"I know he is, but I feel like I still have to try, un."

"Here, Tobi, let the master show you how it's done!"

Everyone looked back to see Hidan charging towards the water. They left him a clear path, which he used to dive into the water, creating a massive splash.

"Imbecile," Kakuzu grumbled as carefully stepped into the heat.

Soon, all the men had followed suit. Tobi and Hidan had a little splash fight, treating the hot water like it was a regular pool. The other just sat there, enjoying the warm, comfortable feeling.

"Hey, Sasori, un?"

"What, brat?"

"Isn't the water gonna ruin your body, un?"

"No. First off, I'm heat resistant, much more than the rest of you. Secondly, I have already taken precautions against water damage. I have a coating that prevents water from damaging me, just in case I get stuck in water."

"Oh, that makes sense, un."

"ARG! I ISH A PIRATE!" Hidan growled with a huge smirk on his face, curling his left index finger and holding it in the air.

"Hidan..." Kakuzu grumbled, "you're an imbecile."

"IMBECILEN!"

"Go die in a hole."

"Heh heh, but 'Kuzu! I can't die! I'm freakin' immortal!"

"Then I'll be sure to drown you," the miser grabbed the Jashinist's head and started dunking him under the water.

"GAHBLBLBLBL!" Hidan yelled between being forced under water and fighting to get back up.

"Hey Senpai!" the still-masked Tobi poked at his blond companion. "Senpai, look! Look!"

"What, un?" Deidara groaned, looking to the direction Tobi pointed.

"Heh heh... It's a hole in the wall, Senpai!"

"Yeah? Well, you have a hole in your face, un."

"Did you say 'hole?'" Hidan made his escape from the zombie miser and sped over to Tobi. "Where? Where did you see it?"

"Over there."

Purple-pink eyes trailed to the wall, and, surely enough, there was a hole large enough to cover an eye.

"DUDE! I can't believe you found it!" the priest nearly cried with joy as he waded over to it.

"Why are you so excited?" Kisame raised a brow. He was relaxed against a few small boulders, blue, muscular arms stretched to either side.

"It's the hole!" Hidan chirped again, now positioned right next to it, looking as it he were to sneak up on someone. "The guys and I would gather here and do _that_ all the time, if you know what I mean!"

"WHAT?" Deidara immediately stood up, face turning red.

"Yeah! Sasori, Deidara, you should fracking see this! I mean, seriously! Your _girls_ are on the other side! Haven't you always wondered what they-"

"Deidara, I think I am seeing a problem here," Sasori began.

"You know, Danna, I think I might actually have to agree with you on this one, un."

"That would make this a _very_ special occasion, wouldn't it?"

"Indeed, it would. It's very rare for us to agree on much of anything, un."

"With this being the case, would you do the the honor of assisting me in solving this problem?"

Deidara's lips twisted up into a grin. "Oh, the honor would _definitely_ be mine, un."

"Crap."

Hidan stood no chance. The two artists' closed in on him, fists ready to go. Blue and brown eyes looked upon purple-pink ones with pure hatred and anger raging from them. Then, the fists attacked...

:::::

"I wonder how hard it would be to make him a little blanket..." Aina thought more about Konan's baby out loud.

"You could make a no-sew blanket with fleece."

"Emi, that's a brilliant idea!"

Konan couldn't help but let out a chuckle. It had now been fifteen minutes that the girls had been chattering about her unborn baby pretty much non-stop.

_**CRASH!**_

The wooden fence came crashing down, barely missing the three young ladies. Hidan managed to fall on top of the wood, with Sasori and Deidara still positioned from their punch. Emi let out a squeak as the crash resonated, while Aina and Konan's eye's simply widened.

The two artists felt their faces flush bright red at the sight of their girlfriends in nothing but towels. Pretty quickly, the two managed to cover their eyes and turn around.

"Pfft...pfft...Bwahahahaha!"

All eyes turned to the green-haired medic ninja, who couldn't help but laugh at the scene before her. After a moment, Kisame also decided to join in on the laughter, leaving every one else baffled and confused.

"I can't believe you guys seriously busted the wall down!" Aina managed between laughs.

"Gosh dang it..." Hidan grumbled, water bubbling just below his lips.

"We're just... gonna go (un)," Deidara and Sasori managed to mumble before heading back inside to change. It didn't take long for the rest of the Akatsuki to follow suit. Aina and Kisame, though, were still laughing...

Yup, _still_ laughing...

:::::

The Next Day!

:::::

_Knock knock knock!_

_Kachak_.

"Hey guys, I brought those towels you... wait, YOU guys?" a voice shouted as Itachi opened the door. Behind the bamboo decored door was none other than...

"What? Oh, no, Susumu?" Aina exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you _doing _here_ with _them_?" he retorted.

"Well, gee, I don't know, I'm on what they call a _vacation_?"

"I can't even believe that!" he made a face. "Why are you still here with these _lunatics_? And on vacation, nonetheless!"

"Because I _can_? You know, it's called _my choice_? Something everyone has? It's very common, you know..."

"Hey, I'm hearing shouting..." a certain priest walked in, his eyes locking onto Susumu. "Oh, hey! It's that one guy! Come 'ere and give me some frackin' sugar!" Hidan grinned, opening his arms out wide.

"WHAT?" Aina and Deidara looked at them, flabbergastedly shocked. The Jashinist veered his purple-pink eyed gaze over to the couple and gave them a subtle wink. Both let out an 'Oh!' once they saw the gesture.

"WHAT?" Susumu cried out in question. "What are you talking about? Are you gay?"

"You know, he just might be..." Kakuzu grumbled.

"So! Sugar, you will give?" Hidan asked again.

"Heck no!"

"TOBI WILL GIVE HIDAN-SENPAI SUGAR!" the masked shinobi cried out his statement, already glomping the sliver-haired Jashinist like a koala. "Tobi brings love because Tobi is a good boy!"

"GAH! What the freak, Tobi!" Hidan shouted, trying to pry the amateur ninja off of him.

"You know," Aina thought out loud to herself, "for some strange reason... I don't feel bad for him."

"Whoever feels bad for that loony needs to get a cat scan, un..."

"Um... should we help him, Sasori no Danna...?" Emi asked.

"Oh, no," he replied nonchalantly. "Leave them be. The fool asked for it after all."

:::::

It was a few hours later, the Akatsuki having found themselves in the 'living room' of their room. The group had just talked about what they would do for dinner and Pein and Konan decided it would be nice to go eat at a dining hall that the hotel provided.

"I would suggest that you dress your best," Konan had informed. "It's fairly... classy..."

"So..." Aina pondered to herself, now looking through the clothes she had brought. "I should wear the pants that don't have the hole in them, right?"

"That would be the best idea," Emi replied, pulling out a simple, but nice dress from her pack. "Unless you have a dress. But nice pants do the trick too."

"I'm not one for dresses," the elder stated.

"I realize," Emi smiled. "But you'll do nice pants."

"Yes, I will."

"Do you have a nice shirt?"

"Shirt? I can't wear something like this?" the green-haired girl pulled at her mesh shirt and black tank top.

"Uh, Aina... that's casual..."

"...I suppose you're right..."

"...Do you even have a nice shirt?"

"Ahaha... Funny story..."

A chuckle resounded from Emi's throat as she looked through her own clothes. "I thought so." She pulled out an article of clothing that looked like a dress but was just slightly too big to be worn by the small girl. The younger held the brown and blue dress up for her friend to see.

"No..." Aina's jaw seemed to drop. "No, no, no, no, no... I am _not_ wearing that!"

"Oh, come on," purple-blue eyes rolled as she grabbed onto her friend's wrist and started dragging her to the nearest bathroom.

"No! No, I'm not wearing it!"

"I don't have anything else for you, Aina," Emi reasoned. "And you have nothing else."

"I'll just wear what I wear every day then!"

"But you might get kicked out."

"Is everything alright?" Sasori asked, raising a red-colored eyebrow.

"Everything's fine. Aina just doesn't have anything to wear," Emi smiled. "I knew she'd forget something, so I thought to bring a dress."

"You knew this place would have a fancy restaurant?"

"No, but my intuition told me I should bring it, Sasori no Danna," the small girl grinned.

"I'll never understand a woman's mind..." the puppeteer thought out loud.

"Anyways, let's get ready, shall we?" Emi turned her attention back to her sempai.

"No!"

Ignoring her friend's protests, the younger medic nin dragged her friend into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. The click that followed soon after told the puppet master that his girlfriend had locked the door. And for more reason than just keeping the male population out...

:::::

"What's going on, un?" Deidara asked while buttoning up a white shirt, a blue tie hanging from around his neck. He could hear shrieks and screams coming from the closed room. The voice, he noted, was his own girlfriend, and he wondered if he should be worried or not.

"Emi is using Aina's own weakness against her," Sasori replied.

"Oh..." the blond could instantly pinpoint what his Danna meant. He thought on all that could be happening behind the door. "Well, best of luck to her then, un."

The red-head couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "You're not helping your own girlfriend?"

"Hey, she didn't help me with my nose when Emi punched me until _after_ she stopped laughing. I call this payback, un."

"You just want to see her look like a girl."

The bomber paused a moment, only to let a huge, sly grin run across his lips. "Ok, I suppose I can't deny _that_, un."

"Go get ready, brat," Akasuna no Sasori grinned with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm already half-way done. I would suggest you do the same, un."

:::::

"Am I done now?" Aina asked impatiently, making a face.

"Almost..." Emi replied, finishing up with fixing her friend's short hair. She finished by clipping in a crystal barrette. "There. That should do it!"

"About time! Can I get out of here, now?"

"Yes, yes," the younger said as she adjusted her own cream-colored dress.

"Alright!" she impatiently unlocked and nearly ripped open the door only to stop herself short. "Wait..."

"What is it, Aina?"

"I CAN'T GO OUT THERE!" she stated, shutting the door and locking it again before anyone could see. "I look _girly_! I can't go out!"

"Aina, you don't look that bad," her friend implied. "I picked the dress out knowing that it'd at least suit you more than other colors, like pink."

"I don't like pink."

"Then be grateful with what you have."

An exaggerated groan made its way out of the green-haired girl's mouth as she let her friend open the door again and drag her out. Waiting for them were the rest of the Akatsuki, all ready in suits, ties, and, in Konan's case, a fancy maternity dress.

"About time you two get out, un!" Deidara said, turning to the girls. "I mean, seriously, Aina, you're such a..." He stopped, looking over his beloved. Her dress was brown with a blue belt, a blue barrette adorned her now _really _brushed hair, and her brown eyes just seemed to pop... The blond didn't know why, narrowing his focus on her to find out.

"Um... Dei-Dei? Why are you looking at me like that?" Aina asked, feeling ever-so-slightly nervous for once in her life.

"Are you... YOU'RE WEARING MAKE-UP, UN?" It couldn't be true! She never would...

'Dang, Emi's good, un...' he thought. He just might have to ask Emi to force make-overs on Aina every now and again.

"I... I suppose I am..." the tomboy answered hesitantly.

"Well, you... look very..." the blond shuffled through words, trying to pick the right one quick enough. "You look very beautiful, un."

Aina froze, letting the words sink in. Beautiful? Not "like a girl?" This was _definitely_ new. She couldn't help but _to_ blush.

"Alright, alright, enough of the sappiness!" Hidan interrupted, his dress shirt, dark purple vest, and black dress pants-clad body getting between the two. "Can we go eat now? I'm flippin' starving!"

"Someone who's immortal shouldn't _have_ to eat," a dressed up-but still masked-Kakuzu retorted.

:::::

Waiting. One of the most glorious parts of waiting for delicious food...not. But alas, this is what our wonderful friends the Akatsuki are finding themselves doing at the moment in time.

"So," Hidan began, breaking yet another silence that fell between them. "I'm thinking of a number between one and-"

"Pi," the entire group chorused before the priest even had a chance to finish.

"Dang it all! I was so freakin' close, too!"

"No, you really weren't," bluntly stated Kakuzu.

"You know I was! Next time-"

"I most certainly hope there's not a next time."

All eyes began to wander about, trying to pretend the two zombie brothers weren't arguing...again...or maybe they were wishing they just didn't exist at all.

"They always fight," Emi pointed out, purple-blue eyes trying to avoid the gaze of a couple seated a short ways from their table.

"This is why we can't go nice places," Sasori mumbled in response.

Emi looked over to her boyfriend, a small smile across her features. "Well, maybe if we went nice places without them?"

"Pfft, they'd notice if we went somewhere without them. There's too many of us."

"I...I don't mean _all_ of us..."

Brown eyes blinked in slight surprise. "Oh, you mean...just the two of us..."

"Yes," a deep blush spread across the purple-haired girls cheeks. Sasori couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked like that.

"That...might be nice."

"Yo-you think so?" she questioned, hope shining in her eyes.

A deep chuckle escaped the puppeteer. "That definitely sounds nice."

A short ways down the table, everyone's favorite bomber found himself playing with the edge of his napkin, folding it and unfolding it over and over again. Next to him sat a particularly pretty green-haired girl. Her brown eyes were fixed on her lap, where her hands fiddled with the edge of her skirt.

"You've...been awful quiet this evening, un," Deidara spoke up. These were some of the first words between the two since Aina had emerged from the bathroom with Emi.

"G-gomen," she managed after a moment.

Gently, Deidara rested a hand on top of hers, stopping her fiddling. "You get very shy in a dress, un."

"I don't mean to, it just...happens..." her eyes quickly looked away from the blond.

"Probably just a stupid question, but...do you think you're not pretty, un?"

This caused brown to look straight into blue. "No, I think I am a decent looking person. I just...I feel...exposed, I guess."

Deidara smiled. He liked it when she was open with him, something of a rarity with the others around. "You know I'll protect you, right, un?"

With her cheeks tinting red, she turned away. Deidara pouted his lips slightly, realizing that was the end of the conversation. Aina was never much to talk so personally in front of the others, so Deidara was actually surprised he got as much out of her as he did.

And so, the sky fell, because Chicken Little decided _not_ to tell anyone the sky was falling. And because the sky fell, the weasel went _POP_ and his Sharingan eyes rolled down the hill, tripping Jack and Jill... and their bucket fell into the well, hitting the shark man's head, causing him to faint and drown. And all of this happened while Pein and Konan were sitting on the beach drinking tropical punch out of coconut shells.

"What's your frackin' deal anyways, Kakuzu? Can't handle a little fancy shmancy dinner?"

"It's a waste of money!" said man retorted. "_I_ could cook a better meal than _this_."

"I'd have the freaking living _crap_ scared out of me if you did that because you're so fracking _cheap_!"

"Alright, that's _enough_," Pein snapped sternly, causing the two to quiet immediately. "I will _not_ tolerate the two of you fighting and getting the rest of us kicked out."

All stayed quiet afterwards, with the occasional small chit-chat between members as they waited for their dinner. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait too much longer as their waiter approached them.

"Alright, here's your... food...?" Hazel eyes blinked and the rest made a face. "Oh, great, _you _guys again..."

"Hi Susumu," Aina replied monotonously.

"Hi, dearest Aina-chan." He set out the plates of food to their respective people, receiving glares from the always jealous blond. "I must say, Aina, you look quite beautiful in your dress," he gave her a smile, ignoring Deidara's mental daggers.

"It's not mine," she replied, looking at her plate.

Susumu couldn't help but chuckle. "Aww, are you shy? It's not something you usually wear."

A growl rose from Deidara's throat. "It's not something she usually wears, but you shouldn't question how she feels. She's not going to tell you something she can't trust you with, un."

"Oh, so she tells you all of her little secrets," he said snarkily.

"More than she ever tells _you_, which is none at all, in your case, un."

"Hey, I happen to know a few things about her," Susumu responded with a smirk across his face.

Everyone's eyebrows seemed to raise at this. "Really," Deidara began skeptically. "Like what, un?"

"Well, let's see. She's 18 years old, is 163 cm tall, weighs 46 kg, became a ninja at 13, passed her chunnin exams-*whatever those are*-at 16..."

He quit talking when Aina stood from her chair, standing directly in front of him.

"You, Susumu, know NOTHING ABOUT ME!"

_Slap_

The sound of skin against skin resonated throughout the entire restaurant. All heads turned to see Aina's hand as it stood still in the air for a moment, the young man's head turned to the side matching her hand. The entire Akatsuki dropped their jaws. Aina was well known for her bark, and they all knew she had a bite, but she never actually displayed it before.

"Don't you ever think you do...EVER!" with a turn on her heals, she began to run off.

Hardly missing a beat, Deidara chased after her. "Aina! Aina, un!"

After a minute of everyone watching the two run off, Hidan promptly stood up, placing an arm around Susumu's shoulder.

"Dude, you know that could probably be filed as sexual harassment, right?"

"You," the brunette started, carefully grabbing the Jashinist's hand to remove him, "need to not touch me, or I'll file sexual harassment on you."

:::::

Panting, Aina found herself running into the near-by gardens. She found a small clump of shrubberies and hid in them.

Deidara followed her as quickly as he could. He called out her name a couple times as he entered the garden.

"Aina, where are you, un?" he called out to her. Near him, he could hear a faint breathing. He knelt down next to the green-haired girl, who had her knees pulled up to her chest.

"D-Deidara," she breathed.

"Are you all right, un?" he asked her, worry evident in his voice.

She quickly looked down, avoiding his eyes. "Yes."

"Come here, un," he quietly gestured, pulling her into a hug, letting her head rest on his chest. "Everything's gonna be all right, un."

"I know," she whispered.

For the next few minutes, he held onto her. He wasn't sure of what to say, so he chose to say nothing. He did find himself playing with a small lock of her hair, one that was clasped in the crystal barrette.

"Deidara?" she quietly asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, un?"

"Do you mind...if we were to walk around for a little bit?"

The blond's lips curled into a smile. "I think that sounds like a good idea, un."

He gently helped her up to her feet, and the two began to walk around the gardens while holding hands. Large colorful trees followed the edge of of the stone pathways they walked upon. Aina would stop every so often to reach up to some of the branches, and Deidara would stop to allow her a moment. Once she was ready, the green-haired girl would continue on her way. The blond chose to stay silent, wanting her to wander in her own thoughts.

At the end of the path they were on, the pathway ended in a larger circle, a small arc covered in vine-flowers and a bench inside the arc were surrounded with more trees. The blond gently pulled her to the bench, and the two sat down.

"It's so...peaceful here," the green-haired girl spoke, looking around.

"It really is. It's very quiet, un."

She gave a small smile. "I like when it's like this."

He smiled back. "I do too, un."

After a moment, Aina could still feel his blue eyes looking at her. Soft brown eyes looked over, just to make sure. "What...are you thinking about?" she asked meekly.

Deidara blinked his eyes a couple times. "Well, I was thinking...it's just..." he finally let out a sigh. "Would you mind...if I just showed you, un?"

Surprised by the odd question, she decided to let him. "Sure, I don't mind..."

A hand reached up to softly stroke her cheek, before tangling itself in her green hair. Gently, he pulled her head closer to his own, allowing a slight pause once they were mere inches from each other. When she didn't seem to hesitate, he leaned in the rest of the way.

His soft lips pressed against her own as he kissed her. She was unsure what to do, but didn't pull back. This gave him hope, though he didn't intend for it to last too long. Within seconds, he pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

Her brown eyes were filled with multiple emotions: fear, confusion, wonder...but mostly...love.

"Arigatou, un," he managed after a moment.

Once he spoke, she couldn't help but smile. She leaned in to give him a hug, resting her head against his chest again. "Arigatou."

:::::

"Alright you two, is it really so hard for you guys to keep it down?" Kasumi asked, scolding the stalking busboy/waiter and Jashinist priest. "I mean, this is a _business_ I'm trying to manage, _not_ a cage match. It would be much appreciated if you didn't cause a scene and drive away our customers."

"Gomen..." the two mumbled sheepishly.

"You better be sorry. Susumu, I'll let you off with a warning this time. Though, I _really should_ fire you... You _did_ commit what would be considered sexual harassment..."

"Gomen," he replied again.

"And Hidan... You're you, so I don't expect you to behave any less, but could you at least tone it down a... a _lot_ while you're here?"

"I... suppose I could..." the priest glanced elsewhere.

"Arigatou. If any of you do this again, you _will_ suffer the consequences," she gave her final say in the matter and turned to the younger. "Susumu, you may go now. Hidan, I need to talk to you."

"_Again_? But Kasumi, you already scolded my freaking ears off!"

"Hidan," she said, in a softer, yet still stern tone, "it's important. Remember what I told you earlier?"

The silver-haired man had to think on it a moment before he could remember their greetings in the lobby. "Ohhhhhh..."

"Yeah, 'oh.'"

Knowing he shouldn't be around, Susumu quietly left and went back to work. When he was out of earshot, the priest looked his sister in the eye.

"So what about it?"

"Hidan," she started, casting her gaze to a corner of the floor, as if looking at an invisible bug and talking to that instead, "our parents... You won't be able to see them anymore."

"What do you mean by that crap?"

Finally, the younger looked up at her brother with the same purple-pink eyes. "They're gone, Hidan. They're dead."

Silence went over the two. It took Hidan a while to register the words that his younger sister had just told him only seconds ago. His parents were dead? Really? That didn't even seem possible...

"Hidan?" Kasumi asked after a long silence between them.

"...It's about time anyways," he replied calmly. "They were how old? Grandparents? It was going to happen sooner or later." He nonchalantly shrugged and walked away to meet up with the rest of his comrades. This followed with a low grumble: "Too bad I wasn't able to sacrifice them to Jashin first."

"Hi-Hidan!" Kasumi called out to him, following and grabbing his arm. "How can you be so careless? I know you and mom and dad didn't have the closest relationships, but... _Really_, Hidan! To think that you're that _heartless_? Is that Jashinist religion really taking over how you see things?"

"Jashin has nothing to do with this!" he snapped, pulling away from her. "I just don't care because they didn't care to understand _me_. So just drop the fracking topic!"

And with that, he turned on his heel and left the silver-haired lady to watch him stomp off in disbelief.

:::::

"Arigatou," Aina quietly spoke as Deidara held the door open for her. As the two stepped in, all heads turned to see the two.

"'Bout time you two got back!" Kisame boomed. "Where'd you go?"

"Just to the garden for a little bit, un," the blond explained.

"Oh, that must have been romantic~" the fish man spoke with a playful tone.

"I'm not talking about it, un."

"Is Aina at least feeling better?"

"Oh," the green-haired girl gasped as she was dragged into the conversation. "Yeah, I'm better now."

"Aina," Pein addressed, walking into the main living area. Aina wasn't sure what he was thinking, but it seemed he was slightly irritated with her. "I understand what you did and why you did it, but I'm not sure your behavior was entirely appropriate."

"I-I...gomen..." she responded with her head ducked down.

"Aw, c'mon, leader-sama. The guy deserved it!"

"Kisame!" the leader interrupted his defence for the younger girl. "I understand that, but still...we are trying to not draw attention to ourselves. I'm only giving her a warning. Hidan will be the one I'm really going to chew out."

"Already done," a familiar voice called as the door opened again. The priest walked straight towards the bathroom. "You can thank my sis for saving you the trouble tomorrow. I'm goin' pee, then to bed."

Everyone just simply watched as the silver-haired man dragged his feet towards the bathroom and slowly closed the door. It was a moment before people went back to what they were doing.

"I think you were awesome, Aina," Kisame smiled to her.

She gave him a faint smile in return. "Arigatou."

:::::

"Tobi is ready for bed!"

Without warning, the orange masked man jumped onto the bed he shared with Deidara, causing the blond to almost fall off. "Tobi, watch what you're doing, un!"

"Sorry Senpai!" the childish-man apologized, trying to give the other a hug.

"It's fine! Just don't touch me, un!"

"Aw, but then how will Tobi brush senpai's hair...?"

"Tobi won't brush senpai's hair, un!"

"We're gonna have to listen to this all night, aren't we?" Kisame asked as the two continued their argument.

Kakuzu shifted onto his side. "Probably, wouldn't surprise me, at least."

"Oi, 'Kuzu!" Hidan shouted, back to his normal self. "You're taking up too much of the bed! Scoot over!"

"No, I'm bigger than you, so I get more bed."

"That makes no frackin' sense!"

"I'm older than you."

"That's a lame excuse, too!"

"I am your superior in the Akatsuki, now just go to bed, Hidan."

"I want my fair share of the bed!"

"You have your fair share of the bed."

"Frack you!"

"Same to you."

The two zombie brothers continued to bicker and argue as the younger managed his way onto the bed. Every one else attempted to sleep despite the noise they made.

"C'mon, 'Kuzu! Just move over a little! Onegai?"

"I don't own a guy."

"You probably would if it'd save you money."

There was a slight pause. "I won't argue that one."

"Well, good!"

A pause went about the two, much to everyone else's delight. Silence commenced as they all soon slowly went about their way to falling into their... hopefully peaceful slumber.

But not for the uncomfortable Hidan, oh no. He had suddenly realized a dry sensation in his mouth and throat. That was, indeed, not comfortable at all.

"Did you drop your English language down there?" the miser asked in a cross tone.

"I don't speak frackin' English in the first place, 'Kuzu!" the priest snapped. "Can't I just get my freaking water in flippin' peace?"

"You better use the restroom when you're done. I'm not going to have you wet the bed."

"WHOEVER SAID I DID? WHO TOLD YOU?"

"Hidan!" Kisame and Deidara yelled. "Damare (un)!"

"It would be nice if you could be quiet," White Zetsu said meekly.

"Well, those two aren't doing such a good job of "being quiet" either," Black Zetsu remarked.

"I suppose this is true..."

"All of you, be quiet!" the raven-haired man's voice raised, causing silence to come over all the bickering. All eyes were on the Sharingan-wielder. "I swear, if you all don't be quiet and get to sleep, I _will_ use Tsukuyomi on you all!"

"Oh... crap..." Hidan muttered. He was done fighting for the night.

:::::

"Ok Mr. Deodorant...you can come out now..." Aina called out as she searched the bathroom. "I'm done playing Hide-and-Seek."

"Did you loose it again, un?" Deidara asked, leaning against the door frame.

"No, it was right here last night. Now, come out, come out, wherever you are!"

The blond let out a sigh as he walked over to where Emi was packing up her things. "Hey, Emi, un?"

"What can I do for you, Deidara?" Emi asked, looking up from her bag.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Aina's deodorant is, do you, un?"

"Of course, it's right over here," the purple-haired girl walked over to Aina's bag, and pulled the object out of a side-pouch. "Here you go," she smiled.

"Arigatou, Emi, un."

"Douitashimashite."

Deidara walked back to the bathroom, where Aina was crouched on the ground, searching through the drawers. "Come on, where are you?"

Gently, he set the deodorant on the counter, behind a couple things of soap. He began to walk away...

"AHA! I found you, Mr. Deodorant! You'll never be able to escape me!"

Slowly, the blond shook his head. "I love her, but sometimes, un..."

:::::

AN: WHOO! Holy lots of wonderfulness, Batman!

So...how did you guys like Suzumu's slap he received from Aina? That was pretty intense! ^^ What was your favorite part of this chapter? Once again, I do apologize for getting this up so late! We'll try to do better! If it helps, we are just about half way with the next chapter! XD So, please feel free to leave us comments! We love to hear from you!

~Nino and Sakura!


	35. Bonus Chapter: Lots of Letters

Dear Wonderful Readers I (and I assume Emi) love so very VERY much,

This is Aina here, hacking into Nino's computer to write you a message again. Ninoandjaffar needs to get off her lazy butt and continue this story! And Sakura...well, she needs to keep studying. I guess she has a valid reason. Ok, I guess I should give Nino the benefit of the doubt in that she's been working her butt off as a window washer...BUT STILL! All of you should ban with me at yelling at them to continue writing! LAZY BUTTS I SAY!

:::::

Emi walked into the room, watching in confusion as Aina wrote on the parchment harsh enough to almost rip holes into it. "Um, Aina..." she started. "What are you doing?"

"Where the heck are Nino and Sakura?" Aina bursted out, throwing her pen against the desk she was writing on. "They need to continue our story, gosh dang it all! AND WHAT'S UP WITH THE SENSORING? MAYBE I WANNA SWEAR LIKE FRACKING HIDAN EVERY NOW AND THEN!"

"Aina, Aina! Calm down!" Emi rushed over to the green-haired girl, pushing on her shoulders slightly. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll continue the story soon. Nino's job is going to lighten up soon. You know May is a very busy month for window washing-"

"SHE'S BEEN PLAYING SUPER MARIO 64!"

"Well, everyone needs a break every now and then."

"THEN SHE CAN SPEND HER BREAK WRITING ABOUT US!"

"Not everything has to be about us, Aina."

"Yes, it does! We are awesome and amazing and the main characters of this story! And who still plays Nintendo 64?"

"Um...Nino?"

"Still! She needs to write about us a little more! They've been on the same paragraph for the past MONTH!"

"Well, everyone's lives do get a little busy, Aina."

"Hmph!" the green-haired medic nin folded her arms across her chest, rotating in the chair to face aways from the younger girl.

"Aina?" a new voice entered. Emi looked to see Deidara leaning against the door. "What are you yelling about now, un?"

"She's upset because the story hasn't been worked on in a while."

"They already took a break in November, they don't need one now!"

The blond fought the urge to laugh as he entered the room, heading for his girlfriend. "Now, Aina, we want them to continue the story as much as you do, don't get the wrong idea. However, I'm sure they have a reasonable excuse for this, un."

"You call Super Mario 64 a 'reasonable excuse?'" a green brow raised.

"Um...well, you see..."

"Everyone's entitled to their own past times. Nino's happens to be video games. You know, there's that anime convention in June that Nino's preparing for, too. JAFAX, was it called..." Emi raised a hand to her chin thoughtfully.

"Why is no one bashing on Sakura, un?"

Aina's brown eyes looked into Deidara's blue ones intently. "Sakura's been studying her butt off, so I'm not mad at her. She's in school, that's different."

"Eh, good point, un."

"Anyways," Emi began. "I think you can think of something a little...kinder...to write to the readers. Something that will encourage them to stay with us, but not be too hateful towards Nino. Don't forget, you are her Naruto counterpart."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Deidara and Emi both looked at each other before sighing. "You are just like her, to the 'T,' un. Down to the shouting, disorganization, over-confidence-"

"I get it!" Aina bursted, throwing her arms up in the air. "I'll try to be nicer to my 'real world self.'"

"Goodness gracious, can we ever go one day without someone screaming about something?"

All eyes turned to the door as Sasori peered in.

"Sasori no Danna," Emi smiled as she ran over to give him a hug.

"Sorry, Danna. We're trying to calm Aina down, un."

"What are you all worked up about this time?" the puppeteer raised a brow at the girl.

"Nino and Sakura haven't written about us in a while," she pouted.

"Well, aren't you egotistical. They'll get to it soon."

"Aren't you supposed to be impatient, Sasori?"

"Normally, yes. I hate keeping people waiting, and I hate being kept waiting. However, some things do need to take time. A good story like ours should be well thought out, and that takes time."

Aina and Deidara stood a second before bursting out in laughter. "'Well thought out (un)?"

"Nino's much more clever than you give her credit; and Sakura's pretty sharp, too. I'm sure they have some master plan behind all of this."

"I hear they keep an idea list at the top of the master document for this," Emi added, a smile on her face.

"Really?" the green-haired ninja looked quizzically. "I seriously thought Nino was dumber than that."

"She's more like you that you know, Aina, un."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I love you, un."

"Don't change the topic!"

Sasori let out a sigh as the two continued to bicker. "Emi, maybe you and I should just write something to the fans about this."

"That's what Aina was doing, actually."

"...Who trusted her with _that_ task?"

"Um, she did?"

"Let's see what you and I can come up with."

:::::

Dear Faithful Readers,

We want to apologist for the horribly long delay in chapters. Due to circumstances, both Nino and Sakura have been quite preoccupied and unable to continue writing this story. Hopefully soon, more so with your support, they will get more chapters up. Do not loose hope just yet. Both have been constantly talking about continuing (for the most part), and do not intend to give up on this fan-fiction. With sincerest apologies,

~The Akatsuki

:::::

"See, that wasn't so hard," Sasori smirked to himself, holding the paper up.

"Don't you think it's, you know, a little short?"

The red-head looked over his shoulder to his girlfriend. "None-sense. It's a straight to the point type letter."

"It just seems a little formal is all."

"I think the fans will be fine with it."

"OI! Emi!"

A brown eye twitched as the two looked out the door to see Hidan running a hand through his hair. "I'm fracking hungry! You should flippin' start dinner!"

"Um, sure," she looked to Sasori with a small smile. "I'll see you later."

"Of course."

As Emi left the room, the Jashinist entered it. "What're you working on, puppet boy?"

"None of your concern."

"Let me see it!" he shouted, reaching for the paper.

The two men fought over the piece of paper for a moment before Hidan arose victorious. "Dafrack? This looks like a flippin' mission report."

"It's...a notice to the fans, idiot."

"Oh, I wanna say something to them! Can I? Can I?"

Purple eyes looked to brown pleadingly. "Sure," Sasori gave up, "I don't care anymore."

"Heck yeah!"

::::

Oi frackers!

Are you people seriously still reading this crap? Dang, you guys are loyal. Jashin would be proud of you...that would be if you were a follower, of course. Well, don't leave just yet! There's so much more of me to see! You don't wanna miss that, do ya? Yeah, I see you reading this, pretty lady. You know you wanna see more of the great Hidan!

:::::

"That sounds like crap," Sasori commented, watching the silver-haired man write.

"Shadup!"

:::::

I promise, if you keep reading and following Nino and Sakura, you will NOT regret it! Heck, even Jashin-sama's probably reading this! Well, Hidan will see all of you later!

~Hidan!

:::::

"All set!" Hidan shouted, placing the pen on the desk.

"About time," Sasori muttered, picking up the pen and placing it in a cup where it belonged. "Now, be on your way, will you?"

"Want me outta here that bad, puppet boy?"

"Must you insist with that name?"

"Hey! It hasn't been in the fic in a while, and I kinda like it! Nino does too~!"

Sasori's eyes narrowed with irritation. "Nino would..."

"Well, I suppose I should be off bugging Kakuzu."

"Good, have fun."

Hidan grinned. "Thanks, I think I will."

:::::

"See, now doesn't that seem like a more reasonable thing to write to the readers, un?"

Deidara and Aina sat on the younger's bed, the younger sitting between the other's legs, using him as a back rest. On her lap was a book with a piece of paper, and in her hand a pencil.

"Yeah, I suppose it is."

The blond smiled. "You don't have to be so mean to Nino, un."

"Eh, she had it coming eventually, though."

"You are so much like her, un," he chuckled.

"You keep saying that."

"Only because it's true. It's just the irony that you practically _are_ her, and yet you are so mean to her, un."

"Well, that's what she gets for picking Super Mario 64 over us."

"You know, that's actually a really fun-looking game, un."

Aina looked back at him. "How would you know?"

"YouTube, un."

"Ah."

:::::

Dear Readers,

You guys are so wonderful, waiting so patiently for Nino and Sakura to update! They really do appreciate the fact you haven't posted any angry replies like: Where the heck are you two? Or why haven't you updated? They really do love you all for it. They do promise to write soon, it's just between window washing and school, they are too busy at the moment. But fear not, for next week, Nino only has to work 2 days! So maybe she'll actually write a little! Sanku for listening to our rants, and we look forward to continuing our story with you soon!

~Deidara and Aina! 3

:::::

Pein returned from the kitchen, another coffee in hand. As he closed the door, he looked on his desk, where a small stack of papers rested where there were none before. Blinking his purple eyes a couple times, he stepped in to pick them up, looking them over.

"Ugh," he sighed to himself. "I suppose they want me to get these to Nino to be posted, don't they?"

"Probably," Konan's soft voice rang as she stood up from the couch along the left wall. "Would you like me to deliver them personally?"

"No, I'll just e-mail them to her. Would you mind typing them up for me, though? That way Nino can just copy and paste them into an Open Office document and post it up for them."

"Of course, Pein-sama."

With a small bow, the blue-haired woman took the papers and left the office. Pein reached for his coffee, taking another sip. "Good heavens, the things I have to put up with here...why did I start this group again?"

:::::

AN: Well, so...yeah...there's our story and we're sticking to it. Actually, Sakura doesn't know I'm posting this! XD Her birthday was yesterday, and now she's sick today! Ugh! Poor girl, just can't get a break! Anyway, I have no idea if this will make it up to you guys or not, but I decided to post it anyway. I think last chapter, I made a comment that the next chapter would be up within a week or two? Yeah, that didn't happen. Sakura got crazy busy getting ready to leave for college, I got crazy busy finishing up my semester of college, and then we just kinda got more busy. On my last day of school, I was thinking to myself: Yay, I can finally get back to writing DFME! (I even posted it as a FB status...) Then...my dad called me. He's my boss, by the way, and he keeps telling me about job after job after job for window washing. I don't know if you guys know much about the job, but it's taxing on your body. It's very tiring, so when I get home, I just wanna crash into bed. It's like I have no spare time anymore...well, ok that's not entirely true, I did manage a couple hours to play Super Mario 64 on my Nintendo 64...wow, I really am bad, aren't I? On a plus note, I do have 40 out of 120 stars! ^^ But I do plan to put that aside for a little bit and get some writing done. No more stars until the next chapter's up! I shall make this promise to all of you! And with that longer-than-necessary Author's Note, I love you all and will post something fairly soon, I hope!

~Ninoandjaffar.


	36. Bonus Chapter: Breath of Fresh Air

AN: Hey, another bonus chapter! ^^ This one is actually written by Sakura! *GASP!* Most have been written by me, but I think this is the second one she's written! Hopefully in a day or two we'll have another chapter up as well! So, enjoy!

Bonus Chapter: A Breath of Fresh Air

A small grumble escaped from Emi's lips as she did her best to keep her body as still and stiff as possible. One wrong move, and not only would she make noise, she would alarm those around her, possibly causing them to come after her. That was the last thing the young medic nin needed.

But why did this have to be so _uncomfortable_?

It was so hard for her to adjust. Especially with Aina's arms and legs sprawled across the bed, leaving Emi with barely a few inches of space. The elder rolled over, taking the entirety of the blanket with her and leaving the younger with just the pjs she wore. And having just about the majority of the Akatuski male population yelling in the other room wasn't so pleasant either.

'How am I supposed to sleep?' Emi sighed quietly, trying to close her eyes, to wash out the noise with her thoughts. She curled her legs up and closer to her chest, so as to get a better sense of warmth…

_Kick!_

"Kyaa!" Emi landed onto the floor with a small, but hard _thud_. She waited a moment to make sure no one was startled awake or alarmed. One thing was for sure, Aina slept like a rock, despite the fact she just kicked her kohai off the bed. The younger sighed and sat up. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep, she decided. Emi stood up and headed on out of the room, deciding that some fresh air would help her.

The young kunoichi shivered slightly, crossing her arms together in attempt to warm up from the cool summer night's air. She was thankful it was only because of an occasional breeze. Sighing, she looked around her and continued to walk around the area. Maybe a walk would tire her more.

"What are you doing up this time of night?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

She gasped lightly and turned to meet brown eyes, gleaming in the moonlight. "Oh, Sasori no Danna! I… I couldn't sleep. I thought a walk would help."

Sasori cocked his head to one side slightly. "Did Aina take the blankets and kick you off the bed?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"I just know these things…"

"Uh…?"

"Just don't ask questions."

Knowing she wasn't going to get anything out from him, she decided to shrug it off. She'd ask Aina or Deidara later. "So what are you doing out here?"

"I was working on my puppets."

"Oh? Outside?"

"Everyone wouldn't like it if I worked on them inside. And you wouldn't be able to sleep. Pein-sama wouldn't like the mess either…"

"True… Not that I was able to sleep anyway."

The red-head shrugged and gave the girl a faint smile. "Well, as cliche as this sounds, I'm kind of… happy that you couldn't sleep."

The younger blushed a shade of red, but returned his smile. "I suppose I should be happy you can't sleep then."

Sasori chuckled, turning his attention back to his work. "It's something I don't miss."

Emi fell quiet after his reply. A train of thought chugging through her head. "Sasori no Danna?"

"Yes, Emi?"

"How come you don't miss sleeping at all?"

He smirked gently. "I thought you knew very well why? It's a waste of time to me."

"Haven't you ever wished to sleep?"

"…Once. Recently. But otherwise, not at all."

"Oh…"

Silence fell over the two. The Scorpion of the Red Sand could tell that his girlfriend had more than just that on her mind.

"You seem to have more to say."

The girl's purple-blue eyes shot up from their gaze upon the ground, snapping out of thought. "Ah…? I, well… No…"

"After all the times we tell you, Emi, you still persist," Sasori sighed lightly and turned to her in his seat, a look of slight amusement on his face. "You make for a very bad liar."

This caught the girl red-handed. Emi figured she wouldn't be able to walk away without saying a word to her danna. So, if give in she must, give in is what she will do.

"Did it hurt?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, becoming a puppet, I mean…"

Brown eyes blinked. He had never once thought of that day he made himself into a puppet. Sure, the success he thought of, but really, what was the point on being obsessed with that success alone? But back to her question…

"Becoming a puppet, you say? Well… it _did_ hurt a little, I can't deny that. But once I got into the body I possess now, I felt absolutely no pain."

"No pain? Not at all? Because a wooden body can't feel anything?"

Sasori nodded. "The body is something that can feel because of the brain. Pain is a stressor."

"But… how did you do it?"

Reluctance overcame the puppeteer. In reality, it was quite a bit of an interesting picture. Graphic, most definitely, especially if something were to go wrong. The puppet master decided he would put in as little details as possible for the spotless young girl standing before him, awaiting his answer.

"It was a complicated procedure," he started, "and again, quite painful at first. But in the long run, it wasn't too hard at all."

"Oh, was it really?" Emi asked curiously, sitting down beside him.

He nodded in turn. "Yeah. It's just long, is all."

"I see…" the girl replied, suddenly yawning. The next thing Emi felt was a pat on the head.

"You should get some rest."

"I suppose I should…Wha?"

Sasori stood up, wrapping his arms around the small frame of the girl and holding her bridal style. He smiled gently. "Go ahead and close your eyes."

Emi could feel her face heat up a bit, but she nodded nonetheless, leaning her head against his chest and closed her eyes. The puppet master smiled at the younger and walked back to the hotel room.

By the time he reached the bed she shared with Aina, he noticed that she was completely asleep. A small chuckle rumbled through his throat as he managed to move Aina's sprawled body to the side and set Emi down next to her, tucking her under the covers.

"Good night, Emi," he said lowly, gently caressing the side of her face. He paused and stared at his hand; a sudden, yet blatantly obvious realization coming to mind.

He couldn't feel her.

:::::

AN: Daw, poor Sasori. It's ok. We still love you anyway, Danna! I really enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you guys did too! Please feel free to leave us comments, whether you've been reading this for a while, or if you're just starting, we love to hear from you guys! Sanku!

~Nino and Sakura!


	37. This Is Totally Not Childish

AN: Aanndd...Sakura's back from college! ...for a while, at least! :) This may or may not mean we'll upload a little more frequently. You can probably blame me if we don't though...although, we do get inspired when you guys write reviews to us! (Wink wink nudge nudge) Anyway, I'll not keep you from reading our next chapter! Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 31: This Is Totally Not Childish... Really!

"JUICE BOXES!" the green-haired girl shouted as she ran through the halls, around the corridors, and into the kitchen. "JUICY JUICY JUICE BOXES!"

"What's all that commotion, un?" Deidara questioned to himself as he looked towards the kitchen door, eyebrow raised in great curiosity and confusion. "Is that Aina?"

"Sounds like it," the priest confirmed with what little mental capacity he had.

As if on cue, the medical kunoichi slammed the door open, still running at top speed, only to start sliding across the tiled floor instead. Right in Deidara's direction. "JUICY JUICY JUUUUUUUU~~~"

"Ohhh sh-GAH!"

_THUMP!_

"GACK!"

"Whoa!"

"OH FRACKING SH-"

_KRSHGLDSLFKAHDOGK!_

"Ack! Gomen!" Aina scrambled up whatever words she could muster, doing her best to get up off the floor.

"What the freaking crap, Aina?" Hidan yelled, struggling to get his rear end out of the trash bin.

"JUICE BOXES!" she cried out in defense. "I was excited for the juice boxes~!"

"What I want to know is why you were running in _socks_, un! That freaking hurt!" The blond rubbed the small of his back, stepping away from the corner of the counter he was forcibly slammed into.

"Gomen ne!"

"Where did you even _get_ fracking socks anyways?" the silver-haired man asked, now on his feet and trying to wiggle the trash box from his behind.

"Christmas..."

"You lucky fracking duck..."

"What kind of ninja gets socks for Christmas, un?"

"I do," Aina simply answered.

"That doesn't even make any sense, un!"

"Does too... my feet get cold..."

"Inside, un?"

"Yes, inside. Tiles get cold! Why do you think Pein-sama wanted a bathroom rug?" she asked, then blinked. "Wait... did he even _get _his rug?"

"I... wouldn't know, un..."

"Crazy. He hasn't even brought it up..."

"Maybe because he bought one himself?" Hidan suggested.

"Makes sense..."

"Anyways, back to the topic, un!"

"What was the topic again?" the girl asked sheepishly.

"You crashed into us, that's what!" Hidan shouted, waddling about the kitchen in an attempt at freeing himself.

"Oh, right! I am really sorry about that! I didn't think I had that much momentum going..."

"Just...try to be more careful, un."

"I can't make any promises! Now, where are those juice boxes..."

"Really, Aina? REALLY? I have a trash can on my-"

"Is there a problem here?" Sasori asked, leaning in from the door frame.

"Aina, that's what!" the Jashinist bursted.

"Let me take a guess. She came running in here in socks, slammed Deidara into the counter, ricocheted off of him into Hidan, who proceeded to get stuck in the trash can?"

"Dang~! That was pretty much spot on!"

"Well, my room is only a few feet down the hall..."

"Is everything ok?" a small voice asked from behind the puppeteer. "Deidara! You're bleeding!"

"Oh, I would be, wouldn't I, un?"

"Wait, you're bleeding?" Aina practically screamed.

"It was the corner of the counter, un!"

"GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!" the green-haired girl repeated over and over as she rushed over to his side. "I can help, I can help!"

As she began to heal him, Sasori walked over to Hidan, who was now trying to use the leg of the table to get the can off him.

"Need some help?"

"NO! I mean, I suppose...yeah, help would be nice..."

:::::

"POPCORN! POPCORN!" Aina shouted as she made her way back into the kitchen. "POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN!"

She let her feet slide across the floor with the help of her socks and stopped just mere centimeters away from the counter in front of her. The medic reached up into one of the cupboards and grabbed a few packs of popcorn, ripping the plastic away from them and setting one into the microwave. After shutting its door, she reached out for the 'popcorn' button...

"Oh, wait!" she paused, her hand stopped in its path. "Emi said _not_ to use the button! Oh well, I suppose I'll have to press the buttons _manually_. What a drag..."

_Beep beep beep beep._

_Huuuuuuuummmmmmmm..._

Aina grinned a bit to herself, ecstatic about the small event to come. She decided during the wait, she would get her medic companion. Heading out the door, she skipped along the hallway. "Emi~ Emi~ Emi~!" she chanted in sing-song until she reached said girl's door. "EMI~!"

"Ah!" a small scream came from inside as Aina slammed open the door. "Oh! A-Aina...!"

"Emi! Come with me!" she ran in and grabbed the younger's wrist, pulling her out of her room.

"Wh-what is it? Aina?"

"We need to get Dei-Dei and Sasori!"

"Ah, o-ok...?"

Next was Deidara. Aina slammed his door open too.

"DEIDARA!"

"WHA-Aina, un? Wh-what is it?"

"Come! We fly~!"

"Wh-what...?"

"Ugh, forget you and using movie quotes on you. Come on!" Aina, once again, reached out and pulled at the blond's arm, forcing him out of his room.

"Aina, what are we doing, un?"

"You'll see~!"

"I'm mildly concerned, un..."

"I think we all are, Deidara," Emi replied.

"SASORI!"

"What is with all of this racket? What do you want?" the red-head emerged from his room before Aina could even slam _his_ door open. "I'm busy!"

"Not anymore~!" Aina chimed.

He stared at her a minute. "...I'm mildly concerned."

"You should be, un. We are, too."

"Let's go! Let's go!" Aina dashed back to the kitchen with the three in tow. Emi and Deidara, however, had no choice in the matter of being in tow or being towed. They were dragged along. Sasori, being the worry-wort over his dear Emi, followed to make sure no harm came to her.

:::::

_THUMP_

Down on the coffee table, Aina slammed a stack of VHS's for the others to see.

"How do you have VHS's, un?" Deidara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't things switched over to DVD by now...?"

"This, Deidara, is my personal collection of Disney movies!" the green-haired girl grinned to them.

"Wow..." Emi's blue-purple eyes seemed to twinkle at the sight. "Do you have Beauty and the Beast?"

"Of course! I have all the classics! Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Aladdin..."

"So, you're going to make us watch Disney movies with you?" Sasori questioned, raising one of the tapes to see what movie it was.

"Yup! That's the plan!" she smiled excitedly.

The scorpion narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Oh, don't you even _begin_ to give me that look! You're joining us! You've been locked away in your room ever since we got home from the hot springs!"

"Well, thanks to the hot springs, I'm behind my schedule for finishing my latest projects."

"Oh, come _on_! You even worked on them while we were there, didn't you?"

"That is completely beside the point!"

"S-Sasori..." the small voice spoke up. Both arguing ninja turned to Emi. "Do you think...for me...you could set aside a little time? This...this one's my favorite one..."

In her hands, was Beauty and the Beast. The twinkling of stars in her eyes and the slight puff of her bottom lip didn't escape the eyes of Sasori. She really, really, _really_ wanted to watch that one with him.

"I..." a small sigh. "I think I have a couple hours."

"It's settled then! We'll watch this one first, since it's Emi's favorite! Then, on to The Lion King!"

"Let me guess," Deidara finally spoke up. "That one's your favorite, un?"

"Tee hee! Yup!"

:::::

"_Tale as old as time_

"_True as it can be_

"_Barely even friends~_

"_Then somebody bends_

"_Unexpectedly"_

'Huh...' a certain puppeteer thought to himself as he speculated the two main characters dancing across a spacious ballroom floor, the beast in particular. 'To be like that beast...it's kind of like myself. He is so close to Belle, but he's as close as he can be to her in that form. He wants to be human...for her. Emi...is this what it's like for us...? No, maybe Emi has it even worse. Surely, the beast must be warm...touchable. What am I? Nothing more than the makings of a tree, warped from its original being.'

"Sasori?" His thoughts were snapped in two as he came back to reality, darkened purple-blue eyes staring straight into his nearly black ones. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah... I am."

"Hm," she hummed slightly and smiled. "You seem very transfixed on the movie. Do you like it?"

"I... well..."

"Shh! We're still watching here, un!" Deidara shushed the two.

"Oh, Dei-Dei, let them have their fun," Aina rebuked.

"What fun is there if we can't even hear what's going on, un?"

"I could hear it just fine. You're the one going deaf."

"I'm not going deaf, un!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were, Deidara. I mean, come on, you use _explosives every day_."

"Not every day, un!"

"Just about."

"Goodness, now I'm beginning to think _we're_ the ones who can't hear the movie," Akasuna no Sasori mumbled.

"Eh heh... I guess... maybe Deidara should get his ears checked?" Emi suggested.

"He's too much of a stubborn brat to do that, even though he should."

"I'M NOT DEAF, UN!"

:::::

"Beauty and the Beast...check!" Aina beamed as she pulled the tape out of the player. "Next up, The Lion King!"

"It's been a while since I've seen that one, un," Deidara commented as he picked up the VHS and handed it to his girlfriend.

"Well, this one's my favorite, so it's the next one we're gonna watch!"

"Alright, un!" The blond grinned as his girlfriend placed the tape into the VHS. Before the two couples knew it, the show had already started.

:::::

"I'm surrounded by idiots," the lion character named Scar muttered, his vowels in the word 'surrounded' being dragged out a bit. It was only convenient enough to the laughing foursome that one of the idiots came in during the duration of the line.

"HAHA! That's frackin' hilarious!" Hidan bursted into a fit of inane manly giggles. "I like this guy! What movie is this?"

"The Lion King!" Aina chimed her answer.

"Dude! I've wanted to see this movie!"

"Wait, you mean to tell me you've never seen this?"

"Naw, I was busy being a ninja."

"Weren't we all being ninja's when this came out, un?"

"Some of us were just working harder at it than you," Sasori commented, never looking away from the screen.

The green-haired ninja looked at the red-head, her brow raised slightly. "Are you suggesting some of us weren't being good ninjas?"

"You seemed to turn out just fine. That comment was more directed at Deidara."

"WHAT?" Deidara shouted. "What's that supposed to mean, un?"

The scorpion simply shrugged his shoulders before continuing to watch the movie. The blond simply pouted before turning back to the movie himself. Hidan plopped down next to Aina on the sofa, leaving enough space that the bomber wouldn't object to him being there.

:::::

"586... 587... 588..." Kakuzu thumbed through a stack of bills in his hands as he made the journey to his room. "589... 600.. 601... 602... 603..."

"IT MEANS NO WORRIES! FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS~!" Loud voices nearly boomed through the other room, causing Kakuzu to drop the ryo he had just held in his hands just a moment ago. Dollar bills floated to the ground. Everywhere.

"Ugh... I'm surrounded by idiots..." the miser grumbled. Why did he _always_ have to be surrounded by them? Why? Was it really so hard for Fate to let him be around _normal_ villians? Was there even such a thing?

"You know, you all could act normal and a little more civilized like me and keep quiet when you watch a stupid..." he looked at the screen, seeing a boar, a meerkat, and a lion singing, "...kids show... I should have known."

"'Eeeeey! 'Kuzuuuuu!" Hidan grinned, a boom of laughter escaping after his words. "Come on, don't be senile! It's a cool movie! And there's no such thing as normal!"

"I'm living proof of normal," Kakuzu retorted.

"If Kakuzu is normal, then everyone else must be all stitched up just like him," Emi said thoughtfully. "I didn't know everyone else had five hearts either..."

The miser simply stood there, his left eye twitching. His hands clenched together into fists, ready to attack the little ninja.

Both Deidara and Aina bursted into laughter. The green-haired girl was the first to calm down enough to speak. "Emi...that was...beautiful!"

"How'd you come up with that so fast?" Hidan asked, smirking. "You know, if you weren't taken already, I'd probably take you for my fracking self!"

:::::

"Do we have popcorn yet?" Hidan asked, holding an icepack to his face. They had managed to stop his nose from bleeding, so now it was time to stop the swelling.

"Just a few more seconds," Emi responded, waiting by the microwave.

"You know, did your boyfriend really have to sock me _that_ hard?"

"Well, you did make a suggestive comment..."

"But still! He knew I was frackin' kidding, right?"

"One would think by now you'd realize I'm a very literal person," a new voice entered as Sasori opened the kitchen door.

"If you're such the 'literal person,' shouldn't you have been able to tell I said I _wouldn't_ take her because she's fracking _taken_? I swear, sometimes, I wonder if you don't just sit there waiting for some lame-crap excuse to pummel me."

"For all you know..."

"Both of you!" Emi burst, causing both to look her direction. "Can we please just be friendly to each other for a couple hours?"

"Gomen, Emi," Sasori was first to speak up, walking over to give her a small hug.

Hidan's purple eyes looked away from the two. "Yeah, gomen."

A gentle smile played on her lips as the microwave beeped. "Arigatou! Now, let's get back to the movie."

:::::

"So..." Deidara started. "How much longer do you think they're gonna be, un?"

"Hm, well, popcorn only takes a couple minutes, so I'd say we have...two minutes. Why?"

"We could rearrange the furniture while they're gone in that time, un."

Aina giggled to herself. "That would be amusing, but I'm kinda comfy here," to emphasize her point, she snuggled herself up against the blond.

"I'm...kinda comfy here too, un."

The two continued watching the movie. The lions Simba and Nala were having an argument, and it looked like their newly redeveloped relationship was already crumbling.

"Hey, Deidara?"

"What, un?"

"Can I have that pillow, please?"

"You mean this one?" he held up the small black pillow.

"Yeah."

"Hm...why would I want to give it to you, un?"

"Because I asked nicely?"

Deidara stayed still a moment, seeming deep in thought. "What do I get in return, un?"

"My love?"

"I thought that was unconditional, un?"

"It is," the green-haired girl smiled to him.

"Then you gotta pick something different, un."

Aina thought about it for a moment. "Fine, you wanna play that game..." she leaned closer, causing his blue eyes to widen slightly.

Before he knew what was happening, her lips gently pressed against his own. Completely stunned, this gave the medic nin the opportunity she needed. Yanking the pillow from his loosening grip, she readjusted herself back to using him as a back-rest.

"Well, _that_ was an awkward time to come back," Hidan commented, standing at the doorway with Emi and Sasori just behind him.

"What was that all about?" the scorpion asked, wrapping an arm around Emi, who seemed just as stunned as Deidara.

"I wanted my pillow was all."

"You _would_ do something like that to get what you want," Emi remarked.

"He~y, hey!" Aina cried out in defense. "At least I don't do anything worse than that! And besides, Itachi is probably _far_ worse!"

"For all _you_ know..." came Itachi's voice from the other side of the room as he passed quietly by. Everyone just stared after him in an awkward silence.

"You know... he really makes me wonder..." Hidan started.

"I don't want to find out _what_ it is he does, un," the only blond in the room shuddered slightly.

"Well, anyways, I think we should continue watching the movie," Sasori stated, leading Emi back to their rightful places on the couch, popcorn in hand. Hidan came to join them, sitting in the next available seat rather than the couch... near Sasori.

"Good choice, Hidan," the Scorpion of the Red Sand acknowledged.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Puppet Boy..."

:::::

Hours later, the small group of Disney-loving (well... Disney-loving _and_ Disney-_curious_) Akatsuki members were found, still sitting there into the late hours of the night, finishing up yet another Disney favorite, Pinocchio.

Deidara looked over and found his girlfriend dozing off against him and her pillow. She had probably seen the movie quite a few times to be able to fall asleep near the end of it. Then again, it wasn't The Lion King, her favorite movie. His eyes slowly scanned the room and found that Emi, too, was already fast asleep against his Danna's wooden chest. The puppeteer had his arms wrapped protectively, yet idly around her, brown eyes glued to the movie before him.

Next into Deidara's vision was Pinocchio turning into a real boy, all thanks to the beautiful blue fairy. A silly thought tickled the blond's humor of the movie. He wondered- as outrageous of a thought it may be-if Sasori no Danna was, too, turned into a puppet by a beautiful blue fairy way back when. If there are such a thing as bijuu and jinchuuriki, then maybe fairies existed, too! But that was a silly idea. Albeit, very possible, just not probable.

"Emi is asleep," Sasori suddenly stated, adjusting her before standing up with her in his arms. "I'll be taking her to bed."

Deidara blinked, and looked over at the movie. The credits were already rolling. When did that happen? He must have been thinking too deeply.

"Alright, un," he nodded to his partner before turning to his green-haired girlfriend, starting to adjust her as well.

"Hmm?" she mumbled as she instantly awoke from the movement.

"Oh, gomen, un."

"Wha? What's up?" Aina asked, tiredly rubbing an eye.

"The movie's over, un. Want me to take you to bed?"

"Please?"

A smile came across the blonde as he nodded in reply. For some reason, Aina was _very_ adorable when she was sleepy. He wrapped his arms around her and stood up, holding her bridal style, and carried her to her room.

"I like this," Aina suddenly yawned.

"Being carried, un?"

"Mhmm."

"I'm glad, un. I like carrying you."

"As.. you... should..." she yawned again, dozing back to her deep slumber. The bomber couldn't help but chuckle.

"As I should, hmm?" he mused to no one in particular. "I guess I really should, un."

:::::

Sasori's brown eyes glanced out the window just as the sun was rising. The sky was a beautiful orange as the sun was starting to be visible over the tree line. After taking Emi to her room for the night, the puppeteer had retired to his own, only to spend the entire night restlessly pondering. He found he couldn't even concentrate on his art!

His mind only let him think about what it would be like to be human. What would it be like to be flesh and blood again? How would it feel to hold Emi's hand, to stroke her cheek, run his fingers through her hair? Would she feel soft, like silk? Would she be warm? Maybe he'd be able to feel her breath tickle his neck as he held her close to him; or maybe even feel her heart pound against his own...

"Well, you're up early!" Sasori heard Aina exclaim through his closed door.

"Yeah, I dunno what woke me up, but I'm up now, un," the blonde responded, Deidara being the person Aina was probably addressing.

"Wanna come eat breakfast with me?"

"Sure, I'm hungry. Maybe we can make eggs this morning, un."

"Yeah! Let's make scrambled eggs with toast!"

"Do we have bacon, un?"

"I dunno. Let's find out!"

The voices began to fade, and Sasori was left in silence again. He wondered if Emi was up yet. It was possible, since she did like to wake up fairly early, but maybe with the events of last night, she would need a little extra sleep.

It was then that he realized, it had been over twenty years since he'd actually slept. He had closed his eyes, yes, and he'd let himself rest, but never had he truly slept since he changed himself.

He had never eaten in these past twenty years, either. What do eggs taste like? What about toast, milk, ramen...? It had been too long for him to remember.

A fierce fire of determination burned in his eyes as he abruptly stood up from his chair, practically forcing it to fall over on the ground. He quickly made his way to the other side of the room, where a file cabinet stood, searching through the drawers until he found an old discolored manilla folder.

:::::

"Well, even without the bacon, that was still a good breakfast!" Aina grinned, walking down the hall with Deidara.

"Mhm! We're pretty good a cooking, un!"

"Except for you with that toast! You burned it!" she giggled as a pout found its way onto the bomber's face.

"I thought you were watching it, un!"

"I was watching the eggs! Don't worry about it. At least it was only two pieces. I don't think Kakuzu will notice."

"Ick! That'd be bad, un!" the blonde grinned at the thought of the money miser yelling at them for two pieces of burnt toast in the trash.

"That would be. Well, I'm gonna do some studying. Pein-sama brought me a cool medic book from the Ame archives that I've wanted to see for a while."

"What's it about, un?"

"It's about the effects of chakra use to pregnant women."

"Wha...?" a blonde brow rose in confusion. "Why, un?"

"For Konan. With that baby on the way, we'll want to know about stuff like this. I don't think it's safe for her to mold chakra with the baby in her, so I figured I'd read up on it for her."

"Oh, right. She is pregnant, isn't she, un?"

"Yup! So, maybe this afternoon we can train together? I'd like to brush up on my kunai skills."

"I think my skills are pretty sharp, but I'd be happy to help, un."

"I'll see you later then!"

"Mhm. Have fun, un," he smiled to her one last time before heading down the hallway.

"Will do!" she responded, turning the knob on her door to enter it. Sitting on her desk was the book she was looking for. Just as she picked it up to open it, there was a knock on her door.

Confused, she set her book down and headed for the door. She opened it to the sight of a familiar red-head. "Sasori...?"

"Might I talk to you for a moment, please?"

"Um, sure. Would you like to come in?"

"I would, thank you," he said as he quietly stepped in, closing the door behind himself. "I, um...I have something I'd like you to look at."

He extended the folder out to her, letting the green-haired girl take it. Wordlessly, she opened it, looking at the papers.

Her brown eyes widened with realization. "Sasori...this is..."

"It's all the documents about how I managed my puppet body."

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, sitting down at her desk to observe the papers closer. After a moment, she abruptly stopped, turning to look at the puppeteer. "There's a reason for you showing me this, though, isn't there?"

"Yes, there is," his eyes wandered their way to the ground. "I...I want to reverse the process."

Aina simply looked at him for a moment. "You want to be...human."

"...Yes, I do," he whispered.

The medic nin turned back to the papers. Thankfully, they were very detailed, and there were even quite a few pictures and diagrams to accompany them. "I don't want to make any promises to you, but I'll definitely see what I can do."

"You are the best medical ninja I've met. I'd even venture to say you are better than my grandmother and well on your way to surpassing Tsunade. I know if you cannot do this, then I am asking the impossible."

The girl's cheeks flared up with the compliment. "Sasori..."

"I only ask that you try. I know you may not be able to do this. I just appreciate your willingness to attempt."

A smile found its way onto Aina's lips. "Don't worry. I'll see what I can do."

Sasori stood up, Aina following suit and walking with him to the door. "Arigatou, Aina-sama."

"You know I don't like honorifics, Sasori."

"I know, it's just...this means more to me than you know."

Aina took a step forward, embracing the redhead in a hug. "I know."

"Take care, Aina-sa-" Sasori paused a second. "Aina."

The young medic resisted the urge to laugh. "I will. I'll let you know when I figure anything out."

"Arigatou," with the wave his his hand, Sasori exited the room, gently closing the door behind himself.

Aina found her way back to her desk, further looking at the documents.

"You know," she began to herself. "I know they say love makes you do crazy things, but I think Sasori's made that more true than anyone else," a gentle smile made its way onto her face before she completely immersed herself in her new task.

:::::

AN: Oh, snap! It's been a while since we've progressed the story, hasn't it! So now the question arises: Can Aina change Sasori into a human? And what will Emi think...? Snap!

Well, please feel free to leave us comments, we love them reguardless of being praising or critical! ^^ Arigatou!

~Nino and Sakura!


	38. Bonus Chapter: Dei, Meet Mom and Dad!

AN: Hey everyone! Nino here! So...yeah, long time no see...I think, if I did my math right, it's been about 2 years, and a lot has happened in that time. The quick explanation is that Sakura got married, I've been dealing with school and work issues, and we're both building up our medical records! (Not in the good way, either...) We would like you to know, though, that we've never given up on this! We have both spent this time thinking up ideas for chapters and where we'd like the story to go. So, we hope we haven't disappointed you guys too much! Well, let's start off our grand return...with a chapter all about Aina and Deidara? Don't worry, Emi and Sasori, as well as the rest of the gang, will be back very soon!

Bonus Chapter: Deidara, this is my Mom and Dad!

By: Ninoandjaffar

"So...we're going to meet your family, un?" the blond asked, running a hand through gold locks.

"Yup! We're going to see my mom and dad for a few days!" Aina chirped happily. "It's been so long since I've seen them! Goodness, when did I join the Akatsuki...three years ago?"

Deidara looked baffled. "You haven't seen them at all since you've joined, un?"

"Nope, we've had no time."

"Oh," he simply responded. Now that he thought on it, when was the last time _he_ saw his family? Though, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing...they never did see eye-to-eye with the bombing terrorist.

"I'm excited! I can't wait to see them! I hope you love them too, Deidara! They might be your in-laws one of these days!"

A blue eye twitched at the thought. 'Yay...in-laws...un...'

:::::

Rain gently pounded on the couple as they walked through the streets of Amegakure. Deidara stayed close to his girlfriend, knowing she knew her way around better. Leading him through some back-streets, she finally stopped in front of a small house.

"Are we here, un?" he asked, standing just behind her.

"Yup, we are."

She took a couple steps towards the front door, when a couple kunai landed by her feet.

"AAIINNAA!"

"Gah!" Deidara gasped as the figure jumped mere feet in front of Aina.

The young medic nin held a kunai in her hand. "Don't worry, Deidara. Let me handle this. Just stand back..."

Without warning, she charged at the other man, leaving the blond confused. The two clashed in a battle of kunai, the sharp pieces of metal being thrown every direction. A couple times, the blond had to step out of the way from being hit by a stray one.

"Aina, un!" he shouted as one grazed her left arm.

Quickly, the medic nin put her skills to use as she started to heal the wound, while fighting off her opponent. Deidara, on the other hand, began wondering if he shouldn't step in...though she did say to stay out of it...

"You've progressed well, Aina," the figure stated, getting into a defensive stance.

"Sharp as always! You're staying sharp too, papa!"

"Huh?!" the two heard the blond gasp from a little ways off. "Aina...this is you're dad, un?!"

The green-haired ninja smiled to him. "Yup! Come here, I'll introduce you two!"

Reluctantly, the blond walked forward. He stood behind Aina, keeping her between him and the strange man.

"Deidara, this is my dad. Papa, this is Deidara. He's my partner in the Akatsuki," Aina beamed, gesturing to the blond with a hand.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Deidara," the older man greeted, holding out a hand.

The blue-eyed man held a hand up, showing the palm-mouth to the elder. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Etanaru-san, un."

"Whoa, that's a strange place for a mouth...so, what does it do?"

"Huh?" the blond hardly managed.

"Well, it's gotta have a purpose! Probably some kind of powerful kekkei genkai I would guess..."

'Now I see where Aina gets her curious ways, un...'

"He can make explosives with it!" Aina chimed in, speaking up for the pondering young man. "He kneads his chakra into the explosives clay, so that way he doesn't need a fuse to make it go off!"

"That..." the older man started, seeming to be deep in thought, "is absolutely fascinating! You simply must tell me more about this, my boy!"

"Um, sure, un..."

"Aina?!"

All three turned to see a fourth person approach. Deidara guessed this was Aina's mother, the woman having the same green hair that the medic nin had. The man's brown eyes showed what the girl got from her father.

"Hey, mumzy!" Aina cheered, practically jumping on the woman to give her a hug. "Here, I have to introduce you to someone! Mumzy, this is Deidara, my partner in Akatsuki! Deidara, this is my mom!"

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you!" Aina's mother shouted, giving the blond a tight hug. He could feel the air escaping his lungs. "Ah, and you're a cute one as well!"

Deidara's cheeks felt like they flushed at her words. "Um, arigatou, un..."

"And well mannered too! So, are you and him...you know, _dating?"_ she asked her daughter, whispering the last word.

"Yeah, we are," the young girl replied, though slightly sheepish.

"How long has this been going on?" her father asked next.

"Um...a couple months, wouldn't you say?" she asked the blond.

Shrugging his shoulders, he found it best to agree. "Yeah, it started at the matsuri, un."

"Aw, that must have been so romantic!" Aina's mother swooned at the thought. "So are you two married yet?! What about kids?! Oh, you two would make such adorable-"

"Mom!" Aina shouted, face red from embarrassment. "We're...not at that point yet. We're just...dating."

"Just dating...?" the older woman seemed to be in shock, but quickly snapped out of it. "Oh, deary, we've gotta get you going on this! We can go look at dresses and hire a priest and..."

The woman had walked inside, pulling her daughter with her. Deidara watched as the two girls left. 'And that's where her cheeriness is from, un...' He then realized he was alone...with her father...his possible future father-in-law...

"Come on in, Deidara. Let me show you around the house, help you feel at home."

"Arigatou, un," the blond said, walking into the small home with his girlfriend's father.

:::::

"Here's where you'll be sleeping, Deidara," Aina said as she led him to a room at the end of the hallway. Opening the door, he walked into a very simple looking room. The walls were white, with a wooden floor. A small dresser with three drawers stood on the opposing wall, just to the left of a window. An empty closet was on the right wall, with a bed with white sheets directly opposite on the left wall.

"Arigatou, un," the blond thanked as he set his bag on the foot of the bed. Deciding to unpack later, he followed Aina as she went to a different room.

"Wanna see my room?" she asked as she placed her hand on the nob.

Deidara gave her a smile. "Sure, un."

"Here we go then!" she quickly opened the door. Her room seemed the polar opposite of 'Deidara's room.' Her walls were white, but also scratched up with what looked like kunai dents (there also seemed to be some crayon drawings on the far wall). Her bed had blue sheets on it that were in disarray, like she had just been sleeping in them. A pile of cloths (clean or dirty, Deidara wasn't sure) sat in front of her dresser. Looking into her closet, it was filled with all sorts of random things, from art supplies and cloths to weapons and books.

"Wow," he managed as he stepped in. Aina was setting her bag down next to her bed as he scanned the room. "I've gotta say, you're room back with the Akatsuki is a little cleaner, un."

"Teehee!" she laughed at his comment. "You know cleaning isn't my specialty."

"Not at all, un."

"At least the clothes are clean, just not put away," she gave him a sheepish smile, realizing he might have guessed otherwise about the pile.

"This is at least a good start, un."

"Hey, I've gotten better since leaving home. I'm hoping to clean this place up a little while we're here, too."

"If you need any help, I'll-"

"No, I'm sure I can do it, thanks though!" she quickly blurted, interrupting him.

"Got something to hide, un?" a mischievous smirk played across his features.

"No, it's just...well, it's not really a girl thing to be...disorganized."

"Aina," Deidara began, attempting to not laugh at her. "I've heard girls are actually worse at keeping organized than guys. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'd still be happy to help, un."

"But still...I don't know that I'm quite ready for you to be handling my underwear, so I think I'll take care of this myself."

"Ah...right, un..." his cheeks began to tint a little red.

"I do appreciate the offer though," she offered, realizing the awkwardness of the conversation. Sometimes, it felt like she couldn't tell what was ok to say and what wasn't. "Hey, how about we go and see how dinner's coming! Mumzy's probably almost done with it!"

Deidara recomposed himself with the offer. "Yeah, sure, un."

The two then headed out of the room in search of food.

:::::

"Ah, this is so lovely!" Aina's mother chirped, bringing out the last of the food to the table. Deidara, Aina, and Aina's father were already seated.

Deidara's blue eyes were wide as they scanned the table. Pork Katsu, Chicken Karaage, Onigiri, Mitarashi Dango, and a massive bowl of white rice were accompanied by a couple pitchers of water.

"That...is a lot of food, un."

"Well, it's the first time in a while we've had a full table, and I'm sure Aina's appetite hasn't shrunk since she left," the older woman smiled to the blond.

"It probably grew," the girl's father mused.

"I suppose I do eat as much as the average Akatsuki member..." the green-haired girl stated in thought.

"How do meals work there?" her mother questioned. "I hope you get enough to eat."

"We do, mumzy. It's usually a fend-for-yourself, though Emi occasionally cooks a big meal for everyone."

Her father looked deep in thought. "Emi...she's the other medic ninja, right? Your student?"

"Yup, she is. She's a good student, too."

"Do you cook, Deidara?" Aina's mother asked as she seated herself at the table, wanting to add the blond into the conversation.

"I cook a little, un."

"Do you have a favorite dish?"

"Well, I'm not very good at making it, but I like bakudan, un."

"Ah, that is a good dish. Now, dig in. I want you guys to eat it all," the woman gestured to the food.

"Don't mind if we do!" Aina and her father responded in unison, quickly reaching for the different foods. Deidara watched as the two piled what looked like mountains onto their plates.

"Help yourself, Dei. No need to be shy," the blond's girlfriend mused as she shoved a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

"I was just making sure you and your father got enough to start, un," he attempted to reason.

"Don't worry about us, eat!"

"It's like a race here, Deidara," her father explained. "We try to see who can eat the most the fastest. Just jump right in there."

Reluctantly, the blond reached out for some food. As he filled his plate, both Aina and her father seemed to relax a little. Her father had always wanted her to find a young man with a black hole for a stomach.

"So," the elder man stated after a while, reaching for seconds. "I know this will seem an odd question, but can you eat with those palm-mouths of yours?"

Deidara held his fork mid-air as he pondered the question. He'd never really thought to try. "I don't think so. They don't connect to my stomach as far as I know, just to my chakra network, un."

"Hm, that would make sense. It'd be strange to have food traveling up your arms."

The green-haired medic nin couldn't help but laugh at the idea. Her mother, on the other hand, was seeming to find the topic not so wonderful.

"So, I'm just curious, but...will your kids have those things?" she finally asked, slight worry in her voice.

"No, it's not genetics that put them there, but rather a jutsu. If they have my kekkei genkai, the explosion release, they would be able to get them through the same jutsu, but they wouldn't be born with them, un."

"Ah," the older woman sighed with relief.

"Probably when he's around ten or so we might look into it," Aina explained. "I'd want him to get his basics down first."

"Him?" both Deidara and her mother asked in unison.

"What's wrong with a 'him?' I think a boy would be nice."

"Maybe you would have both a girl and a boy," her mother beamed at the idea.

"One is enough," both teenagers responded at the same time. Deidara looked over at her, realizing that was the second time he'd said something in unison with another person...in a row.

"I think a son would be fine for them," Aina's father contributed to the conversation. "A boy would probably be easier with Aina's tomboy habits."

"I suppose you are right, dear. As lovely as a little girl would be..."

As the conversation continued, the four continued to eat. Aina's mother managed to only have to pack up a little of the food.

:::::

Deidara flopped down on his bed. It may have only been for a couple hours, but talking with your girlfriend's parents could take a lot out of you. Especially when her father has a thousand questions for you...and her mother a billion...most about getting married and kids...

Yeah, he was a little tired.

A small knock at the door caused his blue eyes to open. Before he could respond, the door opened, and Aina entered the room.

"Glad to see you're still alive," she mused, walking towards the bed.

"Oh, were they trying to kill me?" he pretended to be shocked. "Well, they're gonna have to try harder next time, un."

The green-haired girl let out a giggle. "I'll let them know," Aina lay down next to the blond, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about my mom. I should have given you a heads up on her...topic choices."

"It's no problem. She just wants to make sure you're well taken care of, un."

"Yeah, probably."

The two lay in a companionable silence for a bit. They let their thoughts wander, enjoying the other's presence.

"So, a boy, un?" Deidara grinned.

"I don't know why, but I've always imagined my child to be a boy."

"I think a boy would be just fine, un."

"Would you be sad if it were a girl?"

"No, she'd be mine...ours. How could I be sad about that, un?"

Aina lifted her head, looking at him in disbelief. "I need to spend more alone time with you."

"Huh?"

"You get softer when it's just the two of us," she grinned.

"I do not, un!"

"Do you even hear what you say when we're alone?"

"Of course I do, I'm right here, un!"

"You know, it's not a bad thing. Also, I'd never expect you to act like that when there are others around. It's like..._my_ Deidara. The side of you only I get to see."

"I like you being the only one to see this side of me, un."

"If you acted like this all the time, I'd shake your shoulders and ask you what you did with the man I love."

"If I acted like this all the time, I'd hope you'd stab me with a kunai, because I'm probably an enemy ninja, un."

"Deidara?"

"Un?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, un."

"Well, I should probably be off to bed now."

"Probably, we wouldn't want your parents getting the wrong ideas, un."

"I dunno," Aina grinned mischievously. "Mumzy seems pretty excited for those grandkids."

"No, no kids for a while, un!"

"How long is a while?"

"A while. Now, go to bed, I'm tired, un!"

"You're gonna kick me out of your room?" she jokingly pouted.

"First of all, it's not my room. As far as I know, it belongs to your parents."

"Brother."

"Close enough-wait, brother, un?"

"You never asked before."

"Point taken. Anyways, secondly, I'm kicking you out so I don't upset your parents. I need your dad's blessing if I'm gonna marry you, un."

"Aw, you want to marry me?"

"Maybe, now go to bed, un."

"Good night, Deidara."

"Good night, Aina."

The green-haired girl finally got off the bed and headed for the door. Half-way out she stopped and looked behind her to face him.

"Dei?"

"Un?"

"No gems, ok?"

"Huh?" he asked, but quickly realized what she was referring to. "Oh, um...really, not even a small one, un?"

"Nope, not even a little one. I'm...a little scared it would fall out, truth be told."

"Got a metal preference, un?"

"Silver, I just like it better than gold."

"Ok, I'll keep that in mind. Now go to bed, un."

"Ok, I'll go now. I just wanted to let you know."

"No gems, just a plain silver band. I think I can remember that, un."

Aina gave him one last smile before heading to her own room. Deidara readjusted himself in the bed, pulling the sheets over himself.

'You know, that really doesn't surprise me, she's adorably simple, un.'

:::::

Deidara's eyes slowly opened as a soft beat brought him to reality. He rubbed his blue eyes, trying to figure out what the sound was. Deciding the best way to do so would be to go find out, he got out of bed.

Too lazy to put on a shirt, he staggered into the hall in only his navy blue capris. With her door being slightly ajar, it wasn't hard for the blond to tell the music, as it was now being identified as, was coming from Aina's room. He headed over and opened the door.

Aina danced around her room as she folded a shirt, adding it to the pile of folded cloths on her bed. "Womanizer, woman-womanizer, you're a womanizer, Oh womanizer, oh you're a womanizer baby. You you you are, you you you are, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer..."

"Am I know, un?" he asked, a smirk across his face.

Cheeks slightly flushed pink, the green-haired girl whipped around, a kunai already in hand. "Oh, Deidara!"

"Whoa, Aina. No need to pull a kunai on me, un."

"Gomen," she said as she set the metal knife on her bed. "So, you just got up?"

Deidara watched as she turned the music off. "Yeah, just seeing what's happening, un."

"I'm just getting a little work done. We're going to lunch at noon."

"With your parents or alone, un?"

"Neither, we're meeting up with Ken and Hiroto. They're not out on a mission, so we decided we'd get ramen today."

"Ah, so I finally get to meet Hiroto, un," Deidara grumbled.

"You seem upset," Aina pointed out before she gave a smirk. "Are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous, un?"

"You have to share me with two other guys at lunch today, I don't know."

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to make sure you know you're mine before we go, un," the blond grinned as he grabbed her around her waist, pulling her against his chest.

"Oh, I think I know," Aina mused, letting her head rest by his shoulder. "You're comfy."

"Am I? I wouldn't think me to be 'comfy,' un."

"You know, I don't get to see you shirtless very often." Aina pulled back, admiring his slim torso with a smile. "I kinda like it."

The blond couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Only 'kinda,' un?"

The green-haired girl let out a joking sigh. "Fine, you're pretty darn attractive, probably the most attractive man I've had the pleasure of seeing."

"That sounds a little better, un."

"You're not supposed to be egotistical," she said absentmindedly, running her fingers across the stitched mouth.

"Gomenasai. I'll try to be better, un."

"Well, I think we have about two hours before we meet up with Ken and Hiroto. I'm gonna try to get a little more work done."

"Anything I can do where I wont be handling your underwear, un?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

Aina felt her cheeks flush back to a deep red. "Um...I could probably throw you some shirts to fold. You gonna find one to wear to lunch, speaking of shirts?"

"Naw, I was gonna show them how awesome your boyfriend is, un!"

:::::

"Ken! Hiroto!" Aina cheered as she ran to the two men. She practically trampled Hiroto, the taller of the two, as she crashed into him, giving him a big hug. He picked her up and spun her around as Ken watched with a smile.

"Aina, how are you?" Hiroto voice boomed, finally setting down the small girl.

"I'm doing great! Goodness, it's so nice to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you again too. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you at the mission. Ken told me you said 'hi,' though."

"Well, of course I did! I was a little sad when I didn't get to see you too."

As the two continued to talk, Ken walked over to Deidara, a warm smile on his features. "It's a pleasure to see you again. Deidara, right?"

"Yeah, and it's a pleasure to see you again too, un."

"How have things been in the Akatsuki? Have you been taking care of Aina?"

"Of course I have, I'd never let anything happen to her, un."

"Oh, come here, Hiroto, I have someone to introduce you to!" Aina beamed as she dragged him by his large arm. "This is Deidara! He's my boyfriend and companion in the Akatsuki!"

"So, Aina finally found a boyfriend, huh? He's...a little shorter than I would have thought."

"Hey, I'm not that short! And I still have a couple years to gain a little more height, un!"

The three old friends couldn't help but laugh at the blond's outburst. Still laughing, Aina walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It's ok, Deidara, I think you're a wonderful hight!"

"Well, shall we head in? I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry," Ken started as he walked towards the entrance of the ramen shop.

"I'm so hungry, I feel like I could eat a whole cow," Hiroto smiled, following his companion.

"You could eat a cow even when you're not hungry, so they better be ready for you."

"Come on, Deidara," Aina held onto his hand, gently pulling him into the shop.

:::::

"So then Hiroto replied with: But I don't know if I can reach him...he's too small!" Ken fought to laugh as he finished his story. Both Aina and Hiroto burst into laughter, while Deidara hardly managed a chuckle.

"Aw, poor Hiroto~" Aina jokingly pouted, patting the larger's shoulder.

"Hey Aina, do you have any good stories from the Akatsuki? Surely there's gotta be a whole bunch!" the large man asked, his eyes beaming with excitement.

"Goodness, what story to tell, there's so many! There was the time we went shopping and I hit Deidara with a shuriken...or the time we went to the festival and we had to run from this creepy guy we later found out was named Susumu...oh! One of the best stories must have been when Emi accidentally released thirteen bunnies into the hideout!"

"Man, you guys really do have a lot of good stories!" Ken grinned.

Hiroto shoved another chopsticks worth of noodles into his mouth. "What's you're favorite story, Deidara?"

"Oh, me?" the blond asked, not expecting to be included. "Well, in all honesty...I don't know, un..."

"You know, I think my favorite was when Deidara and I released a ton of toads into Emi's room!"

"You did what?!" both boys asked in unison. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, you see, we were trying to get Sasori and Emi together. The plan was to..."

:::::

"And well, the rest of the day, we sat in Deidara's room, drinking Mt. Dew out of champagne flutes while wearing bow-ties!"

Both men bursted out into laughter. Even Deidara couldn't hide a smirk as he remembered the story.

"That is awesome!" Hiroto shouted between laughs. "I can't believe you two actually did that!"

"Deidara, you definitely win in my book!" Ken patted the blond's shoulder.

The blond was a little reluctant to accept the touch, but for Aina, he simply smiled. "I try, un."

"You guys have got to let us know when you decide to pull something like that again! I want a full report on it!"

"Of course Hiroto! I might even give you live commentary!" Aina grinned mischievously.

:::::

After a couple more days in the ever rainy Amegakure, Deidara and Aina found themselves packing up to return to the base. Ultimately, Deidara managed to warm up to both Ken and Hiroto, realizing both men seemed content with him being Aina's boyfriend. He also managed to gain favor with both of Aina's parents, showing off what little cooking skills he had to her mother (while managing to convince her that they will have at least one child, as Aina had continually told her it just wasn't gonna happen) and having a couple sparring matches with her father, where he put up an excellent fight.

"I can't believe you guys are leaving already," Aina's mother pouted, pulling her daughter into a hug.

"I know, mumzy, but we can't stay forever. The Akatsuki needs us."

"Well, it'd be nice if you did stop by a little more often, even if it's just for a night on your way to or from a mission."

"I'll see what we can do, papa."

"Well, get going. You don't want to be on the road past dark."

"Of course, mumzy. I love you," Aina let go of her mother, moving to give her dad a hug.

Aina's mother took this chance to pull the blond into a hug. "And you are always welcome here too, dear. You can think of yourself as part of the family."

"Arigatou, un."

As her mother released him, Aina's dad stepped up to the blond, resting a hand on his shoulder. "But remember, that means we'll probably be crossing kunai when you come, too. I've gotta make sure my daughter's man is gonna be able to defend her."

Deidara let out a chuckle. "Of course, I'll always be ready, un."

"Well, we need to head out now. See you both later!"

"Of course, Aina. Take care!"

As the two walked off, Deidara readjusted the bag on his shoulder. "Well, that was quite the adventure, un."

"It's not quite over yet, we have one more stop to make."

"Do you need to see Ken or something, un?"

"Nope, this is...a little different."

Confused, the blond decided to just follow his girlfriend. After a few minutes of walking, he realized where she was taking him.

"A...a graveyard, un?"

"Where are you...?...Enos...Essox...Etanaru!" she shouted joyfully as she found the tomb stone she was looking for. "Oh, you're all covered with moss, silly."

As she brushed the green moss off of the tomb, Deidara was able to read the name.

Etanaru Aito.

"Aito...un...?"

"Hey, Aito. It's me, Aina," the green-haired girl greeted. "I hope you are doing well. I have someone I'd like you to meet," she then pulled the blond to sit next to her. "This is Deidara, my boyfriend and partner in the Akatsuki. Deidara...this is my brother, Aito."

As Aina continued to hold idle chatter with her brother, Deidara found himself flabbergasted. Sure, it made sense now, why his room was empty and he never saw the guy before, but it had just never occurred to him that Aina's brother was...gone. She always seemed so happy when she brought him up, he would never have thought something like this had happened to him.

A small sniffle brought the blond's thoughts to an abrupt halt. Looking over, Aina was wiping at her eye.

"I really wish you could be here, Aito. I wish you could meet Deidara and get to talk to him. And...and I wish that Deidara could talk to you, too."

"Aito," Deidara started as he wrapped his arm around Aina. "I get the feeling you can hear me, so there's just something I want you to know, un."

Aina's brown eyes widened as they looked into Deidara's blue eyes. He was looking at the tomb stone so...intensely. She didn't want to say anything and distract him.

"I will take care of Aina. I promise I'll never let anything happen to her. She seems like a strong and tough girl, but...I get the feeling that deep down, she needs someone. I promise I'll be that someone to always make her happy and to make her feel safe, un."

The green-haired girl didn't bother to stop the tear that now ran down her face. All she could do was repeat his words in her head.

"Thank you, Aito, for taking care of her as long as you could. I'll pick up where you left off, and together, we'll have taken good care of her, un," he said. After a brief moment, Deidara looked down to Aina. "You don't need to cry anymore. I'm here for you, un."

"I...I know you are," she managed, burying her face in his chest.

_"Aina," Deidara asked for her attention._

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "How come you never dress like a girl, un?"_

_ The medical ninja looked baffled. "What do you mean?"_

_ "You never wear dresses. Look at Emi, un. She's got a nice kimono over there."_

_ "Pfft! I don't need a kimono. Pants are much more comfortable."_

_ Deidara laughed. "Have you always been like that, un?"_

_ The girl thought for a moment. "Most of my life, yes. I guess my logic is if I can't be a good ninja in it, I shouldn't wear it."_

_ "Hm,"_

"You...you fear death, don't you, Aina, un?"

Brown eyes widened again at his question. She had never really thought of it like that, but maybe...

"Yeah, I think...I think I am..."

"You have nothing to fear. I'm always gonna be here for you, no matter what, and I'll make sure you're always around too, un."

The green-haired girl attempted to smile. "Arigatou, Deidara...I love you."

"I love you too, un."

"Well, I think we need to be going now, Aito. I'll try to see you more often. Bye."

"Goodbye, Aito, un."

Deidara helped Aina up, continuing to hold her hand as the two walked out of the graveyard. Both were ready to be home, safe and sound.

:::::

AN: Well, that started out so happy...then just went downhill. However, Aito was someone I've wanted to bring up for a long time now, and just never had the chance to. He's been a very important part of Aina's life, despite her never really bringing him up. Maybe someday I'll have to look into giving a little more of a story to him...but, I hope you guys enjoyed this! ^^ I have to admit, I love Aina's parents! Aina's mother was inspired from a conversation with my mom where she was telling me about how she got to hold a 13 month old baby at work...then jumped straight to the question of grandkids! O.O Needless to say, I responded quite similar to Aina! Well, Sakura and I are about half-way through writing the next chapter, so look forward to that soon! Cheers~!

-Ninoandjaffar


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